
American singer-songwriter R. Kelly, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges earlier this week, has been placed on suicide watch. Now, Kelly's lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, has shared a statement to comment on the latest development in her client's case.
She said that the decision to put her client on suicide watch was for "purely punitive reasons" because he's a "high-profile inmate". She further added that it violates his Eighth Amendment rights.
The R&B singer is suingthe detention centre he's currently being held in, claiming he's not suicidal. He further stated thatit is a "cruel and unusual punishment," according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
In a conversation with PEOPLE, Bonjean said, "MDC has a policy of placing high profile individuals under the harsh conditions of suicide watch whether they are suicidal or not (this was done recently with Ghislaine Maxwell)."
"MDC Brooklyn is being run like a gulag. My partner and I spoke with Mr. Kelly following his sentencing, he expressed that he was mentally fine and ONLY expressed concern that even though he was NOT suicidal, MDC would place him on suicide watch (as they did following the guilty verdict)," she added.
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Last September, a jury in New York City found Kelly guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering on all nine counts against him. Last Wednesday, US district judge Ann Donnelly imposed the sentence at the federal court in Brooklyn after hearing from survivors who attested to how Kelly’s exploitation reverberated in their lives.