Author Topic: DRC: Bunia’s killer jail (Read 2096 times)

Perfect · « **on:** »

KINSHASA, 28 August 2009 (IRIN) - Fifty-eight prisoners have died over the past two years because of poor conditions in the jail in Bunia, a town in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, say human rights workers.

“Civilians are kept with soldiers who make them clean their faecal waste by hand or pay US$20 to avoid the degrading treatment,” said Nicholas Londjiringa, coordinator of Pax Dei, an NGO based in Bunia.

“The prison resembles an old people’s home because of malnutrition and the lack of healthcare and hygiene in which the 632 detainees live,” he said, noting that the facility, converted from a pig sty with minimal work in 1960, is supposed to have a capacity of just 200 inmates.

According to Londjiringa, 27 prisoners have died since the start of 2009.

He added that police regularly took the food brought to prisoners by relatives, as well as their money, and as a result many stop visiting.

“Detainees’ families don’t even know if their loved ones are dead because their case files are still in the courts,” he said.

Only 185 of those held in the prison have been convicted of criminal offences, according to Pax Dei; the others are awaiting trial, some for years.

Bunia’s prosecutor, Chris Aberi, conceded there had been deaths in the prison because of poor conditions, but said there had not been as many as alleged by Pax Dei. He did not provide a figure of his own.

Attempts to obtain comment from prison staff were unsuccessful. One official said only the director was authorized to speak but he was on holiday in a village with no telephone reception.

Source http://www.irinnews.org

Cokoye · « **on:** »

Perfect · « **Reply #1 on:** »

Well, I belief something needed to be done in this regard, as this not a pleasant news.

Cokoye · « **Reply #1 on:** »

Subject / Started by	Replies	Last post
DVD Region Code Killer Started by KavenRoyal TECHS	1 Replies 1470 Views	by Lambertion
ONION THE KILLER & THE HEALER Started by martina HEALTH	1 Replies 1165 Views	by Scott3423
THE POTENTIAL KILLER OF MAN Started by Kodo FAMILY and HOME	0 Replies 882 Views	by Kodo
Oyetola: Violate Lockdown Order And Go To Jail Started by ogboso POLITICS	0 Replies 563 Views	by ogboso
THE POTENTIAL KILLER OF AFRICA MAN Started by Kodo FAMILY and HOME	0 Replies 495 Views	by Kodo

Cokoye

Join over 140k discussions or create one FREE

Cokoye is an Africans forum with over 500k members where people freely discuss issues. Register now to Join or start discussions FREE.