Angola Prison Inmate

Prison conditions do not always meet the country's minimum legal requirements.  Food, especially for prisoners with HIV/AIDS and other medical problems, frequently is of poor quality and quantity.  NGO's reported that prison employees steal food from prisoners.  Although prisoners generally have access to health care, prison officials sometimes withheld prescribed treatment as punishment.  Severe overcrowding in some prisons led to poor health; as many as 75 inmates may occupy a cell designed to hold 40 inmates.  The Department of Correctional Services (DCS), which manages prisons, reported that in July there were 169,0000 prisoners in facilities designed to hold only 101,000.  In September 8,262 prisoners awaiting trial but unable to post bail due to poverty were released in an effort to reduce overcrowding.  There were abuses of prisoners, including physical and sexual assaults by prison employees and other prisoners.  Press reports indicated t ... [Read More]

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Overcrowding and corruption in the prisons were widespread.  Prisoners reportedly were beaten to death, tortured, deprived of food and water, or starved to death (see Section 1.a.).  Prisoners are wholly dependent on the personal resources of family or friends for their survival.  Guards have been known to steal food brought to prisoners.  Inmates at Makala prison in Kinshasa sleep on the floor without bedding and have no access to sanitation, potable water, or adequate health care.  There were reports of guards forcing 55 or 60 prisoners into a small cell with room only to stand.  No water or food is given to these prisoners.  There are no toilets, forcing prisoners to urinate and defecate on the floor.  Tuberculosis, red diarrhea, and other infectious diseases are common and widespread.  ... [Read More]

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The Government operated 220 known prisons and other places of detention, and in all such facilities, conditions remained harsh and life threatening; there reportedly were many other secret or informal detention centers (see Sections 1.a. and 1.d.). Living conditions were harsh and unsanitary, and prisoners were treated poorly. The penal system suffered from severe shortages of funds, medical facilities, food, and trained personnel. Overcrowding and corruption in the prisons were widespread. Prisoners reportedly were beaten to death, tortured, deprived of water, or starved to death. The Government provided food at some prisons, but not in sufficient quantities to ensure adequate nutrition for all inmates. Prisoners are dependent on the personal resources of family or friends for their survival. Guards have been known to steal food brought to prisoners. During the year, the Government continued to make limited efforts to improve conditions at Kinshasa's main prison, the Makala National P ... [Read More]

Brazil

Harsh and life-threatening prison conditions, official negligence, poor sanitary conditions, abuse by guards, and a lack of medical care led to a number of deaths in prisons. The authorities charged the director of security and discipline of Andradina Penitentiary in Sao Paulo State with triple homicide in the February asphyxiation deaths of prison gang members. According to press reports, the three had been locked in a van parked in the sun for almost 7 hours, without fresh air or water, following the gang's involvement in coordinated prison rebellions (see Section 1.c.). Inmates in prisons and at juvenile detention facilities rioted repeatedly during the year (see Section 1.c.). One of the worst riots occurred in February in Carandiru prison, where police, prison guards, or other inmates killed 16 prisoners. Television cameras showed riot police firing at unarmed prisoners from atop a wall, leading human rights groups to accuse police of the unprovoked killing of at least two prisone ... [Read More]

Brazil

In July Osmarilton Meneses dos Santos was tortured and badly beaten for 3 days by civil police in Bahia State. Allegedly, the police were seeking a false confession for the robbery of a motorcycle. The victim later reported the incident to the legislature's Commission on Human Rights. Despite promises by the governor for quick action, the officers were only moved to new stations.The police appeared to benefit from a high level of impunity in cases of torture. Often the police themselves were responsible for investigating cases of torture carried out by fellow policemen. The problem remained most pervasive at the state level. The Government began a "National Campaign to Combat Torture" to sensitize all segments of civil society--judges, attorneys, and legislators, as well as the general public--to the rights of prisoners. Judges, public prosecutors, and attorneys were expected to receive training in investigating complaints of torture. The campaign ... [Read More]

Botswana

The Prisons Act, which covers both prison officials and prisoners, makes it illegal for prison officials to mistreat prisoners. When there is an allegation or suspicion of mishandling of prisoners by prison officials, the Department of Prisons is required to forward the case to the police for investigation. In 2000 the Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration stated that stiff penalties would be imposed on prison officials who treat inmates improperly. Three prison officials appeared before a magistrate in 2000 for alleged abuse of prisoners in previous years. In March the magistrate acquitted two of the officials; the magistrate previously had discharged the third official. ... [Read More]

Uganda

No accurate estimates are available on the number of deaths in detention due to the harsh conditions and lack of medical care, although many such deaths have occurred; however, NGO's estimated that the mortality rate in the central prison system improved.  The UHRC reported severely inadequate medical services, seriously unhygienic conditions, and a situation of "semi-starvation" among prisoners in many prisons.  In March prisoners from Kanungu local administration prison in Rukungiri and suspects from Bushenyi police station were forced to exhume the bodies of persons killed in a massacre committed by a religious cult (see Sections 2.c. and 6.c.).  Most prisoners did not have proper protective clothing.  In May there were reports that prison authorities in Lira tortured four prisoners.  On May 24, an UHRC investigator visited the prison and confirmed the abuse.  The investigator also received complaints from female prisoners that they had been tortured by ... [Read More]

Botswana

Prison conditions remained poor and possibly life threatening. The 24 prisons across the country had a capacity of 3,870 inmates, but held 5,864 as of August 27. Overcrowding, which was worse in men's prisons, constituted a serious health threat because of the country's high incidence of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Rape between inmates occurred. During the first 8 months of the year, 47 detainees died following long illnesses, according to the Government. HIV/AIDS testing and the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) peer counseling were available to all prisoners; however, prison officials still lacked reliable statistics on the HIV infection rate within the prison population. The Prison Commissioner has the authority to release terminally ill prisoners who are in the last 12 months of their sentences and to allow citizen prisoners with sentences of 12 months or less to perform "extramural" labor. From January through August, the Government released 587 prisoners under the extramural labor p ... [Read More]

Botswana

Prison conditions were poor; however, unlike the previous year, there were no reports of torture and deaths under suspicious circumstances.  A December 1999 report by the Gaborone Prison Visiting Committee cited "apalling" conditions in prisons, and these conditions did not change during the year.  With the country's high incidence of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, prison overcrowding constitutes a serious health threat.  The 21 prisons across the country have a capacity of 3,198 but held 7,000 at year's end.  To alleviate overcrowding, the Government began constructing 2 new prisons that are scheduled to be completed in 2001; these would bring prison capacity to over 4,000.  Construction of a third prison for male juvenile offenders was delayed due to lack of funds, but is scheduled to begin in 2001.  In July Parliament passed a bill that would give the Prison Commissioner authority to release terminally ill prisoners and prisoners in the last 12 months of th ... [Read More]

Human Rights Report in Angola

Prison conditions were harsh and life threatening. During the year, human rights activists reported that prison officials routinely beat and tortured detainees. The prison system held approximately 5 times the number of prisoners that it was built to hold and in some jails up to 10 inmates were held in cells built for 2 inmates. In August, there were approximately 1,750 inmates in the Luanda prison designed for 800. Warehouses in Bengo, Malange, and Lunda Norte provinces were used as prison facilities during the year. Many prisons, lacking financial support from the Government, were unable to supply prisoners with basic sanitary facilities, adequate food, and health care. Prisoners depended on families, friends, or international relief organizations for basic support, including food. There were credible reports from local NGOs that prisoners died of malnutrition and disease. At the Luanda prison, malnutrition and disease were pervasive problems. ... [Read More]