Prison directors call for better conditions

Prison directors in the Republic of Congo have urged the government to improve the extremely poor conditions of incarceration nationwide. "Living conditions in our prisons are bad, deplorable," Fidele Bouesso, the director of Impfondo Prison in Likouala Department, northern Congo, told IRIN. "We cannot do our work properly, even though we want to. We dare to hope that the government, upon whom we are calling, will take the necessary action for the well-being of all concerned," The call for improved conditions came on Friday at the end of a seminar held in the capital, Brazzaville, organised by the Association pour les droits de l'Homme et l'univers carceral (Adhuc), a Congolese human rights NGO, and sponsored by the Swedish NGO Foundation for Human Rights. The participants reported that prison conditions had deteriorated precipitously across the country, but particularly in the cities of Brazzaville, Djambala, Dolisie, Owando and Pointe-Noire. They said that prisons in Dolisie and Pointe-Noire had been largely destroyed during years of recurrent civil war in the country, forcing prisoners to be relocated to police stations where facilities were inadequate. Moreover, participants reported that prisoners often had to sleep in close proximity to each other, on pieces of cardboard on the floor, resulting in the rapid spread of illnesses. Malnutrition was also reported. Adhuc President Loamba Moke called on participants to always consider the human dimension of their work. "It is not acceptable to treat prisoners as beasts. Prison is not a place of no return. Prisoners can be useful to society once they have paid for their crimes," he said. The participants adopted a declaration in which they appealed for the rehabilitation of existing prisons, the construction of an additional one in Brazzaville, and the establishment of correction centres for youths in the interior of the country. Among other demands, they called for improved prison management; training of prison administrators; better security conditions and means of communication for prison personnel; and more money. They also called for better adherence to trial schedules and follow-up of pending cases; the resumption of community service as an alternative to imprisonment; and the abolition of preventive detention of suspects. A government representative acknowledged that much work was needed to improve prisons. "Our country has come a long way and, with a concerted effort, we plan to humanise living conditions in the nation's prisons," Antoine Pesse, chief adviser of the Justice Ministry, told participants. "They have become known as places of degradation, torture and death." Furthermore, he said, legislation "must be enacted" for the protection of prisoners' rights. He said his ministry had begun efforts to rehabilitate prisons in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, the country's two largest cities. However, he lamented what he believed to be a lack of commitment on the part of certain prison directors across the country. "Today, it is rare to find a director at his office," he said.