VSV calls on Congolese authorities to humane detention conditions

[ad_1]

The Voice of the Voiceless (VSV) is deeply shocked by the harsh and inhumane detention conditions to which detainees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are subjected. On Friday, July 19, 2024, a former detainee, journalist Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, posted a video on his X-account on the subject of these inhumane detention conditions that shocked not only the people but also the conscience of all humanity.

In fact, this video shot inside Makala Central Prison shows that due to overcrowding and cramped spaces, detainees lie or sit crammed together in small rooms, corridors, toilets or showers, which often leads to illness and death among various detainees, thereby violating the right to life and the United Nations minimum rules for the treatment of detainees.

Needless to say, public opinion and all human rights defenders have never ceased to denounce and condemn the appalling conditions of detention in almost all prisons and dungeons in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, the VSV welcomes the efforts made by the Congolese authorities to decongest Makala Central Prison, even though they are not enough.

However, for VSV, rather than delaying or vigorously denying the content of the video following the release of these shocking images, the Congolese authorities should question their conscience and, at all costs, provide an appropriate solution to improve detention conditions at Makala Central Prison, including other prison and prison settings in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The United Nations Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Detainees provide, inter alia, that “all detainees shall be treated with respect for the dignity and inherent worth of the human person” (Rule 1).

VSV therefore calls on the Congolese authorities to do everything possible to humane detention conditions in all prison settings in the DRC.

To this end, the Congolese authorities must provide prison officials with the necessary means to guarantee good conditions of detention, in particular the construction and/or rehabilitation of prison infrastructure, access to health care, good nutrition, drinking water…

Ultimately, VSV protests any tendency or attempt to minimize the suffering of detainees in Makala Central Prison and other prison settings with the sole purpose of selling another image of the DRC, while efforts must be made to treat detainees as equals. Human beings have the right to be respected and to ensure respect.

Done in Kinshasa on 23 July 2024.

Voices of the Voiceless for Human Rights (VSV).