Angola Inmate
South Africa
Prisons do not meet international standards, and 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 insufficient 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 September there were 165,000 prisoners in facilities designed to hold only 105,000. Prisoners often are required to sleep in shifts because of a lack of space. Overcrowding is cited as the main reason for the high rate of HIV/AIDS infection in prisons and a reported increase of more than 300 percent in deaths among inmates. Concerns ha ... [Read More]
Uganda
There were no developments in the investigation into the June 1999 death of Matia Kiwanuka Mulama, an inmate of Buikwe prison in the eastern part of the country, who reportedly was found dead after having been tortured by the chief warden. ... Women have segregated wings with female staff in most, but not all, prisons. According to human rights advocates, rape generally is not a problem, although female prisoners also suffered from severely substandard conditions. Due to lack of space in juvenile facilities, juveniles often were kept in prisons with adults. The central prison system maintained one juvenile prison and four lower security remand homes. School facilities and health clinics in all 5 institutions are defunct; prisoners as young as age 12 perform manual labor from dawn until dusk. Severe overcrowding also is a problem at juvenile detention facilities and in women's wings. The remand home in Kampala, designed for 45 inmates, holds 120 children. ... [Read More]
Burundi
Prison conditions remained harsh and were in some cases life threatening. Harsh prison conditions contributed to the deaths of prisoners from disease and malnutrition. Conditions in Ministry of Justice-run prisons continued to improve, largely due to efforts by the ICRC and a local NGO to improve sanitation, hygiene, medical care, food, and water. The Government raised the daily dried food allowance from 10.5 ounces of beans to 12.25 ounces of beans a day in addition to 12.25 ounces of manioc; however, prisoners still relied on family members to provide an adequate diet. According to government officials, prisoners suffered from digestive illnesses, dysentery, and malaria. Severe overcrowding persisted. According to the Government, 9,013 inmates were housed in facilities built to accommodate a maximum of 3,650 persons during the year. A local NGO estimated that the prison population was more than 9,300. With the return of the ICRC, the death rate in the prisons containing 80 percent of ... [Read More]
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Although authorities do not target women for abuse, prison guards rape female inmates. In general women and juveniles are detained separately from men. ... The Kabila 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 Section 1.d.). During the year, the Government continued to make limited efforts to improve conditions at Kinshasa's main prison, the Makala National Penitentiary and Reeducation Center. The Government provided food at some prisons, but not in sufficient quantities to ensure adequate nutrition for all inmates. Prison conditions remained a threat to prisoners' lives. 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. ... [Read More]
Botswana
The Commissioner of Prisons ordered full investigations into the management and conditions of prisons covered in the 1999 GPVC report. A 2000 report by the Botswana Prisons Service to the Commissioner reportedly denied responsibility for the conditions; however, the report still had not been released publicly by year's end. The GPVC report cited the suspicious deaths in prison of two inmates in 1999. The Commissioner stated that a post-mortem examination conducted by medical authorities in 1999 supported prison officials' statements that Boitumelo Nthoiwa died of pneumonia and Andrew Molefe died after taking an illegal substance smuggled in by another inmate. Local human rights organizations have not challenged the Government's explanation in either case. ... [Read More]
Botswana
The Commissioner of Prisons ordered full investigations into the management and conditions of prisons covered in the GPVC report. A report was completed and submitted to the Commissioner during the year which reportedly cleared the Government of responsibility for the conditions; however, the report was not publicly released by year's end. The December 1999 report by the Gaborone Prison Visiting Committee cited the suspicious deaths in prison of two inmates during 1999. The Commissioner of Prisons stated that a post-mortem examination conducted by medical authorities in 1999 supported prison officials' statements that Boitumelo Nthoiwa died of pneumonia and Andrew Molefe died after taking an illegal substance smuggled in by another inmate. Human rights organizations in the country have not challenged either case. ... [Read More]
Political Violence Against Americans: 1999
Some 30 young supporters of death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal marched to the U.S. Consulate General. Their cause involves claims of (U.S.) police brutality and they have a history, according to Montreal police, of violence. Police moved in on the demonstrators within the beginning of the demonstration. After some pushing and shoving by police, the demonstration turned into a standoff. One demonstrator was arrested for throwing something at a police officer. ... [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]
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]
Human Rights Report in Angola
Female prisoners were held separately from male prisoners; however, there were reports that prison guards sexually abused female prisoners. Juveniles, often incarcerated for petty theft, were housed with adults and suffered abuse by guards and inmates. Pretrial detainees frequently were housed directly with sentenced inmates, and prisoners serving short-term sentences often were held with inmates serving long-term and life sentences for violent crimes. ... 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]
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