NEW YORK: A US judge has relaxed slightly the stringent custody conditions of Mexican drug lord Joaquin 鈥淓l Chapo鈥� Guzman, allowing him to correspond with his beauty queen wife.
The 60-year-old kingpin, accused of running one of the world鈥檚 biggest drug empires, has been held in solitary confinement since being extradited to New York on January 19.
Federal Judge Brian Cogan ruled that Guzman, one of the world鈥檚 most notorious criminals, could send written messages to his wife 鈥� provided they were pre-screened by federal agencies 鈥� but denied him family visits and phone calls.
Guzman鈥檚 wife Emma Coronel, 27, is the mother of his twins.
The 18-page ruling similarly allowed his defense team鈥檚 pre-cleared investigator to visit without an attorney present, following complaints from Guzman鈥檚 lawyers about the conditions of his pre-trial detention.
But Cogan refused a request for Amnesty International to visit on the grounds that there was 鈥渁bsolutely no reason.鈥�
The London-based rights groups in March asked to speak with Guzman, expressing concern that the conditions of his detention 鈥渁ppear to be unnecessarily harsh and to breach international standards for human treatment.鈥�
Cogan also flatly denied a request by Guzman 鈥� who twice escaped from prisons in Mexico 鈥� to have his 鈥渟pecial administrative measures鈥� lifted in full or for him to be moved out of solitary confinement.
鈥淭he conditions are reasonably necessary to ensure that defendant cannot coordinate any escape from prison, direct any violence against cooperators, or manage any aspect of the Sinaloa Cartel鈥檚 enterprise,鈥� he wrote.
He went on to write that Guzman鈥檚 second jail break in Mexico 鈥渨as accomplished under 24-hour video surveillance in solitary confinement.鈥�
The decision came one day before Guzman is due to appear in court for another pre-trial hearing. His wife is also expected to attend.
His lawyer Michelle Gelernt welcomed permission for her client to swap letters with his wife as 鈥渟mall comfort鈥� but said it was 鈥渄evastating news for both of them鈥� to be denied visits and calls.
鈥淲e continue to believe that the conditions of Mr. Guzman鈥檚 detention, including being held in solitary confinement, are untenable,鈥� she said in a statement.
鈥淲e will continue to fight for his right to fair and humane treatment.鈥�
Cogan has denied Guzman visits from anyone other than his lawyers or permission to communicate with potential witnesses.
Cogan鈥檚 ruling revealed that Guzman is visited by his lawyers almost every day at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, for an average of four to five hours in a windowed visitor room.
The judge ordered US prosecutors to 鈥渃ease any communications with MCC staff,鈥� in which prison employees report back on the content of those meetings.
In March, the defense complained Guzman鈥檚 health was deteriorating in custody, and claimed that he experienced 鈥渁uditory hallucinations.鈥�
Guzman pleaded not guilty to firearms, drug trafficking and conspiracy charges. If convicted, he is likely to spend the rest of his life in a maximum security US prison.