In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala documents the “ordeal” of Makala prison

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“Detention conditions in Makala are extremely poor,” Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala explained to us. Young Africa. We have not built new prison infrastructure since colonization. » Only one meal a day, poor quality, constantly searching, few doctors and equipment, insufficient stocks of medicines… journalists describe situation intolerable detention. If he himself could have enjoyed some different treatment in Pavilion 8 (known as the “VIP Pavilion”) and paid a large fee, He spent a long time observing the prison system and the conditions of “ordinary” prisoners. read: Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala: “By condemning me, they are trying to scare all journalists” The rest of this ad While Unit 8 held 100 prisoners, other similar-sized buildings held nearly 1,000 prisoners each. “The air was no longer circulating properly and the detainees were suffocating from within” describe Stanislav Bujakla Chiamala, Arrested in September 2023 And was sentenced to six months in prison for “forgery”, “forgery”, “using forgery”, “spreading false rumors” and “transmitting false information” – a sentence he decided not to contest because he claimed that he was not able to ensure the independence of the Congolese judicial system. In Makala, everything is currency, even the space occupied, is calculated by the size of the foot. A system that forces those who cannot pay of These fees are used for forced labor. “The Kinshasa prison center is a real concentration center,” revealed Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala. There is no drinking water and the toilets are poorly functioning, forcing detainees to defecate in the open. » The journalist tells how one of his detainees had actually been acquitted by a court since 2018, but had never been notified due to the slow administrative system: he was never released. of Makala will be completed only in 2023. “It is necessary to reform the inefficient prison system, but it is also necessary to reform the judiciary,” assured Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala. The state must assume its responsibilities. » The rest of this ad Disease and malnutrition morning.

Posted on July 23, 2024

Lecture: 3 minutes.

Our colleagues, Stanislav Bujakla Chiamalawhere he was imprisoned for six months. Makala prison is the only prison center in Kinshasa and has a capacity of 1,500 prisoners, but in reality it has ten times that many. Four months after his release, March 19 last yearThe most followed journalist in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 600,000 subscribers on X, has broadcast several videos denouncing the hellish life in Makala.

“Huge together exist In Makala, prisoners are kept in small cells or corridors, in showers or toilets, or even standing for lack of space to lie down or sit. In inhumane and horrific conditions, Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala wrote in the July 19 publication. The images are indeed very evocative. We can see dozens of detainees secretly filmed sleeping on top of each other, exist Cramped cells. All beds were occupied by a few people, while other prisoners lay on the floor.

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Disease and malnutrition

If the “hell” in Makala has often been denounced by civil society and NGOs, this is the first time such images have been publicly revealed. Just appointed Chief Justice, On May 29, Constant Mutamba responded to Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala’s revelations. we do not have Without waiting for their publication, the ongoing process of decongesting the prison and improving detention conditions began. “We are a sovereign state”, the Attorney General wrote on X, in response to the controversy sparked by the video. Congolese prisoners eat two to three meals a day. What are the detention conditions in Guantánamo prison? »

Constant Mutamba, Minister of Justice of the Democratic Republic of Congo. ©DR

read: How far can Constant Mutamba go in his fight against corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

According to the Bill Clinton Foundation for Peace (FBCP), an association dedicated to prisoners’ rights, exist There are currently 15,300 detainees in the Kinshasa detention center, of whom only 2,540 have been sentenced. As a result, thousands are in preventive detention: the FBCP describes the slowness of the legal process. “We must fight arbitrary arrests, close secret dungeons, build new buildings, rehabilitate existing ones, respect the duration of preventive detention and monitor detainees,” said Emmanuel Cole, president of the association. Young Africa. for him, Il In Makala, prisoners get two to three meals a day, which is “impossible”. Most of the food comes from the relatives of the detainees, who bring them some food every day.

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The association, like Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, blames the sanitary conditions in Makala. In May alone, the FBCP counted 60 inmate deaths, most of them from disease. Tuberculosis, typhoid, malaria crises and infections are a fact of daily life. of Detainees.