22 October. Twenty African countries were to receive WHO approved rapid testing kits. The WHO recommended that they be used especially in prisons, where there is severe overcrowding, and people are in prolonged and close contact.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

28  September. A warden at St Albans (Eastern Cape) prison alerted the public about a water shortage in the prison. wardens and inmates were queuing up, unable to physically distance themselves to receive water from canisters that were delivered daily. Inmates were often unable to flush toilets for several days in a row. All water supplies and sources in the area have been dry for several weeks.

16 September. Inmates at Groenput (Gauteng) prison are no longer receiving personal protective equipment. The prison has already had deaths among staff member.

One inmate at Pietermaritzburg prison (KwaZulu-Natal) said “Recently we have been short of food and sometimes it does not come at all”. The prison also did not provide personal hygiene and cleaning products.

Many severely ill inmates at Ncome prison (KwaZulu-Natal) complained that government had not followed through on its release program. They said they feared for their lives. Two inmates and the head of the prison recently passed away.

3 September. Officials at the Kgosi Mampuru prison (Gauteng) allegedly flouted prevention guidelines. The high number of guards in quarantine forced the administration to recall them, ending their period of self-isolation, even though this period is mandatory, particularly for staff who attend funerals, which are deemed to be ”hot-spots” for the virus.

25 July. People detained at Thohoyandou prison in Limpopo province were deprived of water for drinking and washing. Inmates also complained that they did not have enough to eat. Prison guards were accused of misappropriating some of the money orders, food and goods sent to prisoners by their relatives. One inmate claimed that “the toilets were not flushed. Inmates drank from garbage cans filled with water where plates and hands are also washed”.

18 July. Those detained at Brandvlei prison in Eastern Cape province were deprived of running water from 8 to 18 July. The prison administration admitted that the water supply was interrupted for a few days, and claimed to have provided water tanks. However, these tanks were water-filled bins that cell mates must share for washing, drinking and cooking. The Judicial Inspectorate of Prison Services stated that it was taking this information seriously.

13 July. A St Albans prison inmate in the Eastern Cape province reported that the prison infirmary was closed, after the nursing staff said they had a right to refuse to work. A prison warden and some inmates complained about the lack of sanitising and personal protection equipment, as well as the impossibility of maintaining physical distancing. Several prisoners in charge of serving meals tested positive. Inmates and wardens were doubtful that the numbers published by the administration reflected the extent of the spread of the pandemic.

12 July. The Kgosi Mampuru prison administration in the province of Gauteng had difficulty keeping up with preparing meals, according to one inmate. Inmates who were usually in charge of the kitchen had been in quarantine after coming in contact with ill inmates.

1 July. Inmates at the new prison in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, criticised the lack of toiletries available to prisoners. They said that they only received masks in mid-June. They claimed that “if visits were authorised, we could sort out our own proper masks and cleaning products”.

30 June. Prisoners were building a hospital for people suffering from COVID-19 at Barberton prison, in the province of Mpumalanga. The latter could accommodate up to a hundred patients. The administration was recruiting nurses and acquiring the necessary medical equipment. Once the COVID-19 crisis would have passed, the centre would continue to take on sick prisoners from the region.

A female prisoner at Sun City prison in Johannesburg claimed that she was harassed by one of the wardens for having criticised the prison conditions, the lack of protective equipment, cleaning products and the smuggling of contraband by prison officials. She was transferred to Upington prison in April, one week after posting a message on social media , before being sent back to Sun City. She feared for her safety and refused to eat for fear of being poisoned.

28 June. The Department of Correctional Services spokesperson refuted the accounts of several prisoners who had tested positive. The prisoners told the press anonymously that they had been held in solitary confinement in rooms with no windows and had received no medical treatment or visits from a doctor.

13 June. Detainees of the Leeuwkop, Baviaanspoort and Zonderwater prisons, in the Pretoria region, deplored the lack of cleaning of the premises, lack of protective equipment and of information shared by the administration. They suspected the administration to be hiding the extent of contaminations. Some inmates had been awaiting their test results for over a month. Some tried to be placed in sanitary isolation by intentionally burning themselves with boiling water or injecting sanitary products.
Prisoners called for the officials living outside the prison to stop entering it and to limit themselves to escorting. They were concerned that external officials might spread the virus inside the premises.

5 May. A judicial inspection of correctional services took place at Sun City prison in Johannesburg, following two letters from prisoners. The inspectors condemned the prison conditions but underlined the good will of the prison administration. The remand centre was overcrowded, with prisoners sleeping on the floor or having to share a bed. Detainees were particularly affected, spending the whole day locked up in their cells, only leaving at mealtimes and with no access to a daily outdoor walk. Tuberculosis and other diseases were affecting many people there.

10 April. Journalists entered into the Sun City prison in Johannesburg without any health checks. They denied the images of the Minister of Justice filmed in the same establishment a few days ago. They reported that incoming detainees were admitted without being tested or isolated from the rest of the population. Prison staff claimed to have no protective equipment. The containers of hydroalcoholic gel, evident during the Minister’s visit, were filled with water. A supervisor stated that the facility, which had more than 9,500 prisoners and 1,000 staff, is “a time bomb waiting to explode”.
The justice ministry claimed to have sent enough equipment and supplies to all prisons across the country.

28 March. Prisoners of St Albans expressed their fear that their detention conditions contribute to the spread of the coronavirus. Some cells were occupied by more than a hundred prisoners, while new prisoners were being admitted on a daily basis. The limited access to water and the absence of hydroalcoholic gel did not provide enough hygiene. The prison administration indicated that everyone entering the prison was subjected to a health examination, and that the premises would be regularly disinfected.

20 March. The Ministry of Justice announced thorough cleaning measures for all South African prisons to prevent the spread of the epidemic in overpopulated, ill-equipped facilities.

Judicial system¶

25 June. Prosecutors requested the postponement of numerous court cases involving inmates. The prison services, severely affected by the epidemic, were struggling to provide transportation for the those summoned to court.

Sentence adjustments¶

18 September. South African prison authorities deported 367 Mozambican prisoners. Most had been granted amnesty by presidential decree.

19 August. Foreign nationals who were to be released and deported were sent to temporary detention facilities within the prisons. Those held then more than 500 persons who had already served their sentence, but must wait for the pandemic to be over before being deported.

30 June. Over 4,000 prisoners, of the 19,000 approved to reduce overcrowding in prisons, were released. Almost a thousand were released from prisons in the Western Cape, 882 in KwaZulu-Natal, 730 in Gauteng, 634 in the Free State and 634 in the Northern Cape, 565 in each of the provinces of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West as well as 329 from prisons in the Eastern Cape. The authorities claimed that they would support and monitor those released through the Community Corrections system.

10 June. The prison administration released 1,894 prisoners of the 19 000 announced by the government.

17 May. 19 000 early release prisoners were eligible for social assistance on the same basis as the unemployed in the general population.

13 May. The government repatriated 589 recently pardoned Mozambicans to their country. The Mozambicans were screened at an accommodation centre before leaving South Africa.

8 May. The President authorized the early release of 19,000 of the country’s 155,000 prisoners, or about 12% of the prison population. Priority will be given to those convicted of minor offences who have already served part of their sentence. These persons will be released on parole. Persons who have been convicted of murder, attempted murder, sexual assault or child abuse are excluded from this measure.

Contact with the outside world¶

25 September. The prison administration invited the relatives of inmates from Kgosi Mampuru (Gauteng) prison to reserve visitation time slots by phone or email.

10 September. The prison administration at the new prison of Pietermaritzburg is experiencing a passive clan war between the supporters of the national administration and those of the provincial consul. Some prisoners, close to the first clan, would have benefited from preferential treatment allowing them to leave the facility to obtain alcohol and cigarettes while in confinement.

7 September. The government is now allowing visits. Visitors must reserve ahead of time, wear masks and adhere to prevention guidelines. Receiving parcels in prison is now also permitted.

25 August. The prison administration is preparing to resume prison visits under certain conditions. Visits would initially be limited to one per prisoner each month without physical contact. The SASAPO is asking that four visits per month without physical contact be allowed.

13 July. A spokesperson for Correctional Services acknowledged that care packages for inmates were being banned due to the pandemic.

5 May. The prison administration condemned the stigmatisation of its staff in shops and public spaces as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The administration stated that it had “been very transparent in its efforts to inform the South African public about the spread of COVID-19 in prisons”.

20 March. Visits to inmates were suspended for a 30-day period.

9 March. Visits have [resumed](https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/list-prison-visits-allowed-again-under-lockdown-level-1-here-are -the-rules-20210309). Each prisoner is allowed two visitors per month, one person at a time.

Acts of protest¶

22 November. One inmate witnessed daily violence in Mangaung prison, which is operated by G4S : “It’s every man for himself, whether you’re an employee or an inmate. People are forced to belong to gangs to get protection”. Imposing lockdown on the prison because of COVID-19 has made the situation worse. There are not enough prison officers to maintain security.

13 August Wardens at the Westville prison in Durban (KwaZulu-Natal) were stabbed by a group of inmates while receiving their breakfasts. One prisoner and seven wardens were injured. Previous “unjustified” punishments, cell confinement, drug seisures, and the administration’s refusal to do COVID testing were blamed.

According to several inside sources, the G2 section of the Kgosi Mampuru prison, in Pretoria (Gauteng), recorded 118 new positive cases in one day and five deaths linked to the pandemic in one week. Inmates reported much tension, bullying from guards and withholding of meals. The prison spokesperson downplayed these accusations, stating that trouble makers were intentionally exaggerating to disrupt the prison’s operations.

31 July. Prisoners went on a hunger strike for one week at Sun City (Johannesburg, Gauteng) prison. One of the prisoners reported to the press: “It’s a mess here, to tell you the truth. We don’t even have a doctor or nurses on site. We don’t have PPE, we don’t practice social distancing at all. The situation is very bad. People are dying each and every day. Last week two diabetic prisoners died because they didn’t get their injections”.

13 July. Prisoners in the maximum security wing of St Albans prison went on a hunger strike for several days over detention conditions, the lack of sanitation and beatings. One of the prisoners claimed that about 2,000 were involved in the strike.

5 July. Inmates of Sun City (Johannesburg) and Kgosi Mampuru (Pretoria) prisons in Gauteng province rose up in protest over the weekend and begun a hunger strike. The protest was said to have the sympathy of some guards. According to the inmates, the administration was concealing the exact number of sick people and not doing enough to protect them. The infirmaries, the canteens and even the security and records offices of the two prisons were said to have been closed because of the spread of the pandemic.

A spokesman for the prison administration deplored the fact that some people depicted “a chaotic environment in the hope that the public would mobilise and demand mass releases. It must be stressed that this will never happen”.

27 June. Inmates at Potchefstroom prison, in the North west province, started a riot and set fire to a cell block. The prisoners demanded “to be tested or to be released”. All the managers of the prison had to quarantine as a preventative measure or were hospitalised. The prison contained 2,100 inmates, 200 of whom had been convicted.

20 June. The South African Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights (SAPOHR) and its leader announced that thousands of prisoners would, starting next week, go on strike, strip, refuse to eat and encourage their fellow prisoners to do the same. The organisation said that it was particularly disappointed with the measures taken by the government and asked it to communicate a date for visits to resume.

14 June. Thirty-four people placed in pretrial detention at Butterworth prison, in the province of Eastern Cape town, protested. They enclosed themselves in their cells and equipped themselves with improvised weapons. They complained about the food that had been distributed to them and demanded to be brought to court in order to be trialed. A video was filmed and uploaded. The authorities withheld the movement during the day and imposed disciplinary sanctions on all the prisoners involved.

4 June. Guards went on strike at Qalakabusha prison, KwaZulu-Natal. Following a prisoner’s positive test, they demanded to be tested. They considered the temperature checks at the entrance of the prison insufficient.

12 May. The supervisors of Voorberg prison in the Western Cape province were on strike after having unsuccessfully asked their management to disinfect the premises of the establishment. The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) considered the prisoners’ temperature testing inadequate as several staff members tested positive. According to a prisoner contacted by the Cape Times, the inmates were kept in cells and no longer had access to the courtyard. A spokesman for the prison administration said such access was still granted.

7 May. About 20 prisoners in pre-trial detention at the Lusikisiki prison, in Eastern Cape province, rose up in protest. Mattresses were thrown out of windows, guards were insulted and a letter of complaint was sent to the prison management. Detainees were on a hunger strike since 20 April to protest trial delays and demanded more sanitary detention conditions.

5 May. Prisoners awaiting trial at St Albans prison set fire to their uniforms. They demanded to know the date of their trial. They also demanded more food and tobacco, as sales were suspended during the quarantine.

23 April. Prisoners at Worcester prison burned mattresses and clothes against the door of their cell. Authorities stated that the recent waves of protest rocking the country’s prisons were due to the ban on mobile phones and tobacco rather than fear of the epidemic.

20 April. Supervisors repressed a collective movement in Baviaanspoort prison. Two prisoners were injured and taken to the infirmary.

19 April. Many prisoners threatened to start on a hunger strike if measures were not taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The South African Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights (SAPOHR) called on its members to “embark on an indefinite passive resistance, which include[d] downing tools, passive hunger strikes, disobedience, and nudity”.

28 March. Various prisoners went on a hunger strike to protest against their detention conditions.

Appeals and recommendations¶

18 October. Justice Edwin Cameron acknowledged the country’s poor prison conditions. He said he was amenable to sentence remissions and early releases. The former judge on the Constitutional Court is troubled by overcrowding, the spread of COVID-19 and increased violence among inmates. He is also worried about the prisons’ poor infrastructure, and inadequate education and rehabilitation.

6 August The president of the South African Network of People who Use Drugs (SANPUD) suggested that inmates who were in jail because of possessing and using drugs should be freed to resolve the problem of prison overcrowding. According to the organisation, only 48 % of those found guilty by the prosecutors had actually broken any drug laws.

25 June. The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services stated that more than half of the country’s prison population was still awaiting trial. The rapid increase in remand detainees was a reflection of the country’s general socioeconomic conditions. While the authorities were working urgently to ease overcrowding in facilities, alternative sentences to incarceration could be a preferred option, and would be a better way of dealing with the subsequent number of prisoners prosecuted for crimes committed through economic hardship.

8 June. The South African Sentenced and Awaiting Trial Prisoners Organisation (SASAPO) asked the government to grant mothers incarcerated with their children a sentence adjustment and place them under house arrest. The South African Prisoners’ Organisation for Human Rights (SAPOHR) demanded that prisoners with dependent children also be released.

20 May. The South African Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights (SAPOHR) demanded that a further 24,000 prisoners be released early, in addition to the 19,000 releases announced by the government. Its aim was to have the prison population decrease from 160,000 to less than 120,000, which corresponded to the official prison capacity.

24 April. A prison service supervisor and a coalition of NGOs requested the Ministry of Justice to release ill and elderly prisoners, along with those condemned for non-violent offenses and whose remaining sentence was one year or less, as well as those in irregular conditions. They feared that overcrowding and the lack of resources from the administration did not allow the possibility to prevent the spread of the epidemic in the country’s prisons.

16 April. An expert in criminal justice requested that the prison administration develop its digital resources to allow court hearings by videoconference. According to him, these tools could also be used to maintain contact with family members for prisoners.

26 March. The Sonke Gender Justice NGO is urging the government to adopt ambitious measures to mitigate the effects of suspending prison visits and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. They put forward the provision of communication tools, as well as the early release of prisoners who are non-violent, old, or suffering from pre-existing health conditions. The country’s prisons contain a significant number of individuals who are HIV positive or suffering from tuberculosis.

21 March. The Law Society of South Africa, which represents South African lawyers, declared they were alarmed by the lack of disinfection being carried out in cells and courtyards. Lawyer William Booth encourages prisoners to request a cell change. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice confirmed the shortage of disinfectant products.

Identified cases¶

30 November. An entire cell of 35 inmates at St Albans prison, was placed under quarantine, after two prisoners were in contact with a warder who died of COVID.

16 November. The country’s prisons reported 20 new cases. The total number of positive prisoners was 2,782.

27 October. The country currently counted 2,762 positive prisoners and 57 deaths.

1 October. Three Leeuwkop prison inmates tested  positive and were quarantined.

25  September. Kgosi Mampuru (Gauteng) prison currently reported more than 300 positive cases (including 177 inmates) and nine deaths (including five inmates). New cases have been identified on a regular basis. More than 7,000 people are detained in the facility.

16 September. Leeuwkop (Gauteng) prison has recorded, since the beginning of the epidemic, 114 positive cases (including 31 inmates) and the death of a warden.

23 August Since the start of the pandemic, Corrections Services recorded, 4,116 positive cases among the prison wardens and 2,332 among inmates. Sixty employees and 43 prisoners died.

28 July. The Prison Administration counted 1,300 active COVID-19 cases. Prison Administration staff accounted for almost 1,200 of these and the prisoners for 104.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Prison Administration recorded 1,724 prisoners and 3,263 guards infected, as well as 22 deaths of prisoners and 42 deaths of prison officers.

6 July. Three prison officers died within two weeks at the Modderbee prison, in the Gauteng province, including two following complications linked to COVID-19. The prison guards were then concerned about their health and life. The central prison administration indicated that it had instructed the officers not to move around, sit or eat in groups, but the POPCRU argued that overpopulation in the prisons made all social distancing impossible. The union ”encouraged its members to talk to one another” and recalled they “had the right to refuse to go to work if they felt themselves in danger”.

1 July. An inmate at the new prison in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, claimed that four prisoners had tested positive after cleaning the warders’ sleeping quarters.

23 June. The number of prisoners which tested positive rose to 1,156. Seven of them died. The number of prison officials who tested positive rose to 737. Six of them lost their lives. The administration stated that 1,058 cases, including both inmates and officials, had recovered.

13 June. The Correctional Services Deputy Minister tested positive.

5 June. At Sada prison in Western Capeprovince, 41 prisoners and 21 guards tested positive.

3 June. A prisoner tested positive at Qalakabusha prison in the province of KwaZuluNatal.

24 May. A third prisoner, who was in his fifties, died at East London prison. The authorities registered 473 prisoners who had tested positive for COVID-19.

18 May. The number of prisoners who tested positive for COVID-19 rose to 393. As for the administration, 173 members of staff were also infected.

12 May. The Prison Administration identified 321 positive cases comprising 131 staff members and 190 prisoners. It noted the recovery of 92 patients. East London Prison recorded 98 new cases of infected prisoners.

5 May. Two prisoners from the prison in East London died. The administration had 169 positive cases at the time: 93 staff members and 76 prisoners. It also signaled the recovery of 60 patients.

29 April. A prison staff member tested positive for coronavirus died in the province of Cape-Western. The Ministry of Health announced an investigation to establish the causes.

28 April. The government provided an online counter for infected prisoners and staff. There were currently 135 positive cases in the country’s prisons: 71 members of staff and 64 prisoners. Three were reported to have recovered.

26 April. One prisoner tested positive at Kgosi Mampuru prison (Pretoria).

21 April. A prison staff member tested positive in Sun City prison. The prison administration then had 114 infected persons, prisoners and staff combined.

20 April. A prisoner tested positive at Worcester prison. Other prisoners with symptoms were placed in quarantine. The establishment also had 16 infected staff members.

19 April. The prison administration reported that 56 prisoners and 43 staff members tested positive for the respiratory illness in several provinces.

18 April. An official from the privately-run prison of Kutama Sinthumuletested positive . The prison has about 600 employees and over 3,000 inmates. Some workers have anonymously reported that they are being made to work without protective equipment. Four prison officials tested positive at the Worcester Correctional Centre. Four also tested positive at the Warm Bokkeveld Prison.

16 April. The families of the prison staff in St Albans and East London expressed concernover the influx of the coronavirus in prison. More than 800 apartments and houses where the supervisors live in with their families are located on the premises of the two facilities. Families are not screened in any way.

14 April. A member of the prison staff tested positive in St Albans prison. The prison authorities declared preventive measures towards the staff during the prison’s outdoor activities.
Screening campaign at East London Prison revealed at least 78 positive cases: 53 detainees and 25 prison staff. The administration claimed to have decontaminated the premises and prepared for the isolation and transfer of infected people. The canteen was subject to more restrictions.

6 April. A staff member from East London prison tested positive for COVID-19. As of 8 April, The National Institute of Communicable Diseases announced the establishment of a massive screening campaign within the facility.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

20 July. Systematic testing for COVID-19 was implemented in the El Harrach prison (Alger). This measure was taken after the death of two inmates and the positive results of many more. The most vulnerable people are being quarantined in the prison’s infirmary for prevention reasons.

15 June. The Algerian Red Cross donated 4,000 masks to the prison service.

2 June. Prisoners were transferred from the El-Harrach prison to the Koléa prison, which was less affected by the pandemic. High-profile and vulnerable prisoners were the first to be eligible.

18 April. Sewing workshops have opened in 30 prisons. They aim to produce 200,000 face masks. Another initiative was announced to begin making protective suits for medical staff.

Judicial system¶

13 April. Long distance court proceedings had been held by videoconference for common law matters. The inmate must agree to it. Some of the lawyers indicated that this method was only good for “simple trials, so they don’t require extended questioning procedures”. This procedure does not seem to be applicable to high media profile procedures, particularly for corruption, because of the number of witnesses and lawyers needed.

17 March. The Algerian Minister of Justice declared that all criminal and correctional court hearings were to be suspended until 31 March. He specified that it is possible to access long-distance judgment procedures. Exit permits for prisoners are only allowed in cases of absolute necessity. Civil and administrative hearings are still held in the presence of lawyers but without the parties to the cases. The minister announced a full ban on prison visits. Lawyers of prisoners are allowed to discuss with their client through a separation glass. In the same news release, The Department of Justice announced suspended day parole plans.

Sentence adjustments¶

1 April. The President granted presidential pardon to 5,037 prisoners. This pardon applied to persons in pre-trial detention or whose sentence was equal to or less than 18 months.

Contact with the outside world¶

31 August. Family visits are officially allowed in prisons from 1 September. Strict health restrictions are in force.

16 July The Justice Ministry authorised the resumption of family visits. Visitors must follow the precautionary measures put in place in certain regions. Only one visitor was allowed at a time and those under 16 were not permitted to visit. Inmates would be separated from visitors by a plexiglass barrier and masks would be obligatory.

19 April. A lawyer said that the price of food being sold inside the El Harrach prison had risen. Prisoners no longer had access to food parcels brought by their families owing to the suspension of visits.

Acts of protest¶

22 May. Over 150 prison officers resigned since the end of February in protest of the lack of protection equipment.

Appeals et recommendations¶

3 August Demonstrations were held in Kabylie for the release of prisoners of conscience.

20 July. Lawyers Farouk Ksentini and Miloud Brahimi called for the release of inmates. Lawyer Brahimi called particularly for the release of remand prisoners.

7 July. Lawyer Miloud Brahimi launched an appeal to the Justice Ministry to release people held in custody and grant parole to inmates. According to the lawyer, inmates were no longer receiving anything from the outside and must rely on what they get inside the prison. Other lawyers said they were the only ones allowed to visit and that other visits were banned. Lawyers could meet inmates in the area reserved for families but not face-to-face. Worried about a possible carnage, lawyer Farouk Ksentini called for the release of all vulnerable older persons.

March 23. Algerian lawyers are calling on the Justice Minister to release a number of inmates, particularly those remanded in custody. They regret their inability to communicate directly with their detained clients.

Identified cases¶

25 November. Thirty inmates have tested positive since the beginning of the COVID-19 second wave. Four of them remain ill.

3 November. El Harrach prison quarantined five inmates who tested positive. The inmates were former Ministers and were being treated in the infirmary.

29 July Several inmates and wardens tested positive at the El Harrach prison. Some were transferred to the hospital and some were treated in prison.

19 July. At El Harrach prison in Algiers, two inmates died as a result of COVID-19. One was suffering from a severe respiratory disease and had been isolated in the prison infirmary since his infection, the other died in the Mustapha Pacha hospital where eight other sick inmates have been hospitalised. At least five inmates were infected and isolated at El Harrach prison, including several former high-ranking state officials.

19 July. Two inmates from the El Harrach prison (Alger), one of whom was Moussa Benhamadi, the former Telecommunications Minister, died. Many inmates and guards tested positive for COVID-19. Those with serious symptoms were transferred to hospital.

13 July. One of the El-Harrach prisoners tested positive.

9 April. The Koléa prison reported the first death of a prisoner.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

28 August. Students training to be tailors made 500 masks for Menongue prison inmates. (Cuando-Cubango).

13 July. Cacanda prison in North Lunda province experienced a water shortage that made regular handwashing and the prevention of coronavirus transmission difficult. The facility was overcrowded; it has a capacity of 480 places and housed then 578 inmates.

2 July. New prisoners from the Kwanza-Nord province would be placed in self-isolation for two weeks before being integrated into the prison. This self-isolation period would be carried out either in the new cells of the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) or in a new section which was converted for this purpose. The joint prosecutor of the province indicated that his services authorised the early release of 482 persons since the beginning of the state of emergency.

2 April. An isolation ward, made up of at least two communal cells, was set up at the Cacanda prison in the province of Lunda-Nord. It was intended to receive the new detainees arriving in detention.

Sentence adjustments¶

20 May. The Attorney-General of the province of Cuando-Cubango authorised the release of approximately 100 inmates being held in pre-trial detention in Menongue while indicating that legal proceedings against them would continue.

27 April. The Attorney General’s office had released 2,877 defendants over the course of the last few weeks. Legal proceedings were accelerated to relieve overcrowding in prisons.

16 April. The Attorney General of the Republic authorised the release of 116 people in temporary detention in the Huíla province. A state of emergency was declared in the country since 27 March.

Contact with the outside world¶

28 June. The resumption of prison visits in the province of Luanda was postponed. The authorities were concerned about the spread of the epidemic in the capital.

26 May. The government initiated a deconfinement process for prison establishments. Visits will resume from 24 June in class C prisons, from 9 July in class B prisons and from 25 July in class A prisons.

21 March. Prison visits and food delivery parcels were suspended.

Appeals and recommendations¶

5 May. Human Rights Watch requested the government to provide prisoners with sufficient clean water, masks and sanitary supplies. The organization also expressed its concern about the large number of prisoners pending trial.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

1 July. A private foundation donated 67 million CFA francs worth of food to prisons in Cotonou, Porto-Novo, Akpro-Missérété, Abomey-Calavi, Ouidah, Abomey, Lokossa, Savalou, Parakou, Natitingou and Kandi, helping more than 14,000 prisoners. The foundation also provided 12,100 protective masks.

10 June. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) gave 110 hand washing stations, gloves, 5,000 litres of bleach, 2,000 litres of hydroalcoholic gel as well as the ingredients needed to make 30,000 litres of soap to the prison administration. UNDP also assisted the Support Project to Improve Access to Justice and Accountability (PAAAJRC), in which detainees recently produced thousands of litres of hygiene products.

27 May. A private organization donated 130 boxes of protective masks, 20 spraying devices, 100 jerricans of bleach, 50 jerricans of disinfectant, 50 jerricans of soap and 50 containers of hand-sanitizing solution to the prison administration.

26 May. Physical distancing measures are impossible to implement in the Natitingou prison. The head of the infirmary said that he needed to rely mostly on the widespread use of masks, preventive chloroquine intake and regular handwashing to prevent the virus from spreading. New detainees are kept in a separate building for two weeks upon arrival. An outdoor space with good ventilation has been set up for visits. The government will soon implement a global testing of prisoners.

21 March. The prison authorities adopted preventive measures, particularly in the prisons of Cotonou, Porto-Novo and AkproMisséreté. A handwashing station was set up at the entrance of each prison. Thermometers were ordered.

Sentence adjustments¶

6 May. The authorities granted 411 people early release as a preventive measure. These people came particularly from the prisons of Cotonou (79), Parakou (35), Kandi (24), Natitingou (20), Abomey (20) and Ouidah (18). Other penal readjustments would be planned during the year. The releases were granted to prisoners who had served at least half of their sentence and whose behavior in detention was exemplary.

Contact with the outside world¶

21 March. Visits to prisons were suspended.

Appeals and recommendations¶

18 March. None of the measures taken by the government to curb the coronavirus pandemic spread apply to police stations, civilian prisons or prisons for remand prisoners. An anti-torture organisation called for a ban on visits, or for the implementation of a disinfection system. The organisation recommends that arriving prisoners should be confined for 48 hours before their admission in general detention.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

24 July. The Commissioner of Correctional Services detailed the actions taken by his administration before a parliamentary oversight committee. The prison population stood at 3 729 adult prisoners and two minors, with an operational capacity of 4 337 places. The occupancy rate was 86 per cent.
The Commissioner stated that he welcomed the policy of the government and its administration in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Prisoners were granted early release, others were transferred to under-occupied facilities such as Mahalapye prison, and disused facilities such as Francistown prison were temporarily reopened. He said that, despite the health crisis, prisoners were quickly able to regain their rights to visit, vote and leave to attend the funeral of a relative. The administration was also seeking to develop its agricultural production, particularly on the 200 hectares of land of the Molepolole prison, in order to contribute to the country’s food security.

Contact with the outside world¶

1 June. The government authorised the resumption of visits. People who had been accused or who had an irregular situation were permitted one visitor per day. People who had been convicted were limited to one visitor per month. The visitor’s register would be organised to facilitate the monitoring of contacts. The premises would continue to be regularly disinfected. Workshops located in detention resumed their activities, however, production remained limited.

24 March. Prison visits were suspended until further notice. The workshop activities in detention were also put on hold.

Sentence adjustments¶

15 May. The president pardoned 15 Zimbabwean prisoners. They were taken to the border.

12 April. The President of the Republic announced the forthcoming release of 113 prisoners. They would be placed in solitary confinement before being released. The prison staff is residing in schools to avoid contact with relatives.

Identified cases¶

29 October. The Correctional Services strategy to contain the pandemic appeared to be successful: opening testing stations and quarantine centres for people on remand; the suspension of daily visits and certain services; and sanitizing were some of the measures taken. In total, 22 men of 2,007 inmates tested, were positive. As for women, one woman of 120 tested was positive.

2 July. One person tested positive at the moment he was incarcerated at the Francistown prison.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

27 July. The first awareness-raising and prevention workshops at COVID-19 were held at the maximum-security prison in Ouagadougou. The French ambassador and several Burkinabé artists attended the inauguration ceremony.

17 July. Prisoners Without Borders distributed hygienic products and washable masks at Ouahigouya prison.

30 June. The French Embassy and the Minister of Justice signed a financing agreement worth 23 million CFA francs to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the two prisons at Ouagadougou. Two NGOs were responsible for educating staff, prisoners and visitors, while new medical equipment had to be set up in the infirmaries. Masks made by inmates were handed out. The prison population in both facilities totalled 2 200.

29 June. The National Chamber of Judicial Officers donated 2 million CFA francs to the Ministry of Justice in order to contribute to its fight against the epidemic.

14 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sent 60 hand washing stations, 32 000 bars of soap and 12 000 litres of bleach to the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for distributing the goods to the country’s 29 prisons.

19 March. The Center for the quality of right and justice (CQDJ) claims that the Ouagadougou correction prison for remand prisoners is the only one complying with the adequate prevention means that are recommended by the health ministry (taking of temperature of inmates and regular hand washing).

Sentence adjustments¶

3 April. The President of the Republic announced the release of 1 207 prisoners. Released inmates were selected from those who had served half of their sentence, according to their age and health condition.

Contact with the outside world¶

18 June. Prison visits resumed with the previous usual dates and times. Detainees and their relatives would need to wear masks, wash their hands, keep a distance of at least 1.5 metres, and their temperatures would be tested.

24 April. According to the prison administration, inmates were allowed five minutes of telephone calls per week. This measure was intended to preserve family ties despite the suspension of visits.
Journalists were granted entry to Ouagadougou prison in compliance with sanitary measures at the entrance (temperature reading, hand washing). Prison guards prevented some of the inmates from communicating with the press on this occasion.

19 March. The Minister of Justice suspended, until further order, all visits to prisoners as a measure to curb the epidemic spread in prison. Families are still allowed to send packages. Lawyers can visit their clients if they respect the indicated prevention measures.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

3 September. The United Nations associated with the Ministry of Justice sent 600 bunk beds and 1200 mattresses to Gitega, Ruyigi, Rumonge and Rutana prisons. The government requested the organization to continue its support and guaranteed to release prisoners who were eligible for sentence adjustments.

31 May. ACAT Burundi published a report on conditions and ill-treatment in prisons. The organisation highlighted the mass incarceration of political opponents and the deplorable hygiene conditions in the prisons of Bujumbura and Rumonge. Significant food shortages were also noted in the prisons of Rumonge and Muramvya. The Muramvya and Mpimba prisons had an occupancy rate of 866% and 531% respectively.

17 April. The Independent Commission for Human Rights introduced its annual report to the national assembly. The prison occupancy rate was 273.3%. Prisoners often shared dormitories with more than 50 places. Jailed journalists worried about the threat that the coronavirus caused on the prison population.

Identified cases¶

11 June. Four inmates at the Ngozi prison presenting COVID-19 symptoms were reported to have died during the last two weeks. Twenty-six prisoners were bedridden and kept separate from others. Ten others were transferred to the hospital of the sector. No tests seemed to have been carried out. An isolation ward was hurriedly set up in the chapel of the prison, since the dispensary was reserved for prisoners with tuberculosis.

24 June. Human Rights Watch contacted an inmate in Ngozi prison. The latter stated: ”we are told that there have already been five deaths from COVID-19. Some prisoners are supposed to be in quarantine, but they still move freely around the prison. Otherwise, measures to prevent the spread are just signs regarding hand washing. The prisons are so overcrowded, it’s impossible.”

31 May. At least three inmates at Mpimba prison, having complained of symptoms typical of COVID-19, were denied treatment and were reported to have died. Other inmates were said to have presented similar symptoms in Rumonge prison.

Contact with the outside world¶

1 April. Prison visits were suspended. The Ntabariza association demanded the government to pay particular attention to prisoners suffering from other illnesses.

Appeals and recommendations¶

10 May. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights was concerned about conditions in prisons. He called on the government to introduce prevention measures and free up space in prisons. He requested the release of human rights activists, journalists, political prisoners as well as individuals in provisional detention.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

30 September. The prison of Kribi has been affected by a cholera epidemic. The health authorities decided to vaccinate the entire prison population to regulate the situation. The health measures installed to counter the COVID-19 pandemic are being reinforced.

11 August. A former prisoner taught sewing at the prison of Bademba to help prisoners make their own masks.

13 July. Regional prison committees were formed as part of decentralising the response to the pandemic. The committees work hand-in-hand with the regional health authorities.

9 July. Hydroxychloroquine was prescribed to Yaoundé prison inmates, wardens and their families. The prison infirmary, which had twelve beds, had been full since May. Three patients shared a bed.

19 June. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministries of Justice and Health trained 43 medical staff from 14 prisons in the West of the country for three days.

11 June. Members of the interconfessional association Cameroon women of faith network for peace (Camwofnp) visited the women incarcerated at the prison of Mfou, in the region of Yaoundé. They prayed with the prisoners and gave them protective equipment against the COVID-19, as well as basic hygienic products worth 3,000,000 FCFA.

4 June. Senators and local councillors had a new well dug and sent 500 mattresses, boxes of soap and alcoholbased hand sanitiser to Yaoundé prison.

29 May. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) donated masks, hydroalcoholic gel, hygiene and sanitary products to the six prisons of Littoral, New Bell (Douala), Nkongsamba, Edéa, Mbanga, Yabassi and Ngambè. Nearly a thousand prisoners were released from New Bell prison in Douala, which had then 3,773 inmates.

29 May. The UNDP donated hand washing stations, masks, gloves, soap, alcohol-based gel and sanitary products to the administration of the central prison in Bamenda.

28 May. The UNDP sent the administration of Mbalmayo prison 520 masks, 150 latex gloves, 130 litres of bleach, sanitary products, nine boxes of soap, chlorine and a thermometer.

27 May. A small workshop for making masks was created in the juvenile unit of the Douala prison. Many prisoners in the facility made masks in order to sell them to their fellow inmates.

26 May. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provided the administration of Yaoundé prison with 5,000 masks, 1,000 latex gloves, 107 hand-washing stations, 107 boxes of soap, 3,000 bottles of hydroalcoholic gel and sanitary products. The prison administration affirmed that it had established commissions within its institutions to ensure compliance with preventive measures.

23 April. Observation cells were set up at Yaoundé prison. The administration was preparing a disinfection campaign for the premises. People who were ill or suspected of being ill were treated with hot beverages made from ginger and garlic.

9 April. The NGO Prisons Fellowship donated masks, hand sanitizers, as well as sanitary and hygienic products to Buéa prison.

Judicial system¶

19 June. A lawyer was disappointed at being unable to communicate with clients at Yaoundé prison. They were unable to attend their hearings.

Sentence adjustments¶

20 June. The Minister of Justice stated that 7,000 prisoners had been released since the start of the epidemic, bringing the prison population to 21,000.

24 April. The Department of Justice announced the release of 1,000 people. More than half of them left the Douala prison. 177 prisoners were released from Bafoussam prison, while nearly a hundred others had their sentences reduced.

15 April. A presidential decree allowed the commutation and readjustment of sentences for all the prisoners in the country. The inmates on death row were commuted to a life sentence. The prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment would instead have to serve 25 years in prison. Sentence adjustments were also granted to those sentenced to 10 years or less in prison. The President of the Republic announced the early release of various prisoners, without communicating the exact number. Prisoners in preventive detention, representing 58% of the prison population, in addition to anglophone political prisoners, persons convicted for drug-related offenses, unethical behavior, or corruption were not affected by these measures.

Contact with the outside world¶

4 August. Family visits resumed at the Yaoundé central prison.

13 July. Some visits that were deemed essential, such as lawyer appointments, could be permitted. Visitors must wear masks, wash their hands, and follow sanitising procedures. Internal activities and obligatory visits to the outside remained on hold.

5 June. Centro Orientamento Educativo (COE), the Italian national development agency and the local youth and cultural centre organised a song workshop at the Douala prison. A piece of music entitled “All United Against COVID-19” was due to be broadcast shortly after.

23 April. The prison authorities suspended outdoor chores for prisoners at Yaoundé prison.

Acts of protest¶

13 April. People detained in Yaoundé prison expressed their concern following the suspicious death of several prisoners. Different sources suggested between three to six deaths were probably linked to the coronavirus. An army intervention unit was massively deployed around the establishment.

Appeals and recommendations¶

17 May. The Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CL2P) stated that a ”large number” of prisoners had already tested positive for COVID19. It requested that Cameroonian prisoners be released on a wide scale to protect them from the epidemic and called for an end to punitive, repressive policies.

5  May. Amnesty International pressed the authorities to reveal the extent of the coronavirus contagion in prisons, in particular that of Yaoundé. It has already been confirmed that a prisoner at an external hospital tested positive. Another detainee told the organization that “detainees often die in this prison; no one really knows who is infected. Many detainees are sick, and everyone is afraid of the overcrowding. Those who are sick are afraid of going to the prison’s clinic due to the rumors that patients with COVID-19 have already been admitted.”

30 March. Human Rights Watch (HRW) relayed the concerns of local NGOs, who stressed the impossibility of physical distancing inside the country’s vastly overpopulated prisons. Inmates’ lawyers and family members affirmed that the suspension of visitation rights and implementation of hand-washing at the entrance were insufficient measures in light of such overcrowded conditions.

26 March. The Human Rights and Liberties Commission of the Cameroon Bar Association asked the Ministry of Justice to adopt emergency measures, including adjusted prison sentences. It pleaded for the release of accused defendants, prisoners at risk and those nearing the end of their sentence.

Identified cases¶

9 July. The Yaoundé prison recorded 31 inmates deaths between April and May. It normally has one or two deaths per month. An inmate who was transferred to a health centre on the outside said he thought that out of the over 3,000 inmates there, ”a thousand people [were] infected […]. You cannot leave your room without passing a hundred people. It is a horror”. Tests conducted on inmates released from the Yaoundé prison in April, the results of which were not published by the authorities, revealed that 58 % of them tested positive for COVID-19.

20 June. The Minister of Justice announced that “some prisons were still safe” and hadn’t yet been affected by the epidemic.

2 May. Official documents indicated that among the thousand prisoners pardoned, around 44% had tested positive upon release.

11 June. An anonymous source, associated with the health and prison authorities, reported that several inmates tested positive at the special prison of Mfou, in the region of Yaoundé.

5 May. Two people recently released from theYaoundé prison died. Although no tests were carried out, one of them was buried according to the precautions taken for those who passed from the COVID-19.

11 April. Several prisoners tested positive or were suffering from symptoms characteristic of COVID-19 at Yaoundé prison. Two supervisors were placed in quarantine at their home. The administration reported cases of “acute malaria”. The overcrowded and unsanitary prison has more than 5,000 detainees.

4 April. The director of Mbanga prison, in the West of the country, placed fifteen supervisors suspected of being carriers of the coronavirus in quarantine.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

13 May. Staff and some prisoners at Praia central prison were tested. The prison authorities said they had received protective equipment (masks and visors) and launched the production of masks in their workshops. Isolation areas were set up in prisons and digital videoconferencing devices were made available. An information brochure was also handed out to staff and prisoners.

Contact with the outside world¶

19 March. Prison visits were suspended.

Appeals and recommendations¶

20 May. The National Commission for Human Rights and Citizenship recommended that the government pardon prisoners and authorise their early release. It considered it necessary to ease overcrowding in prisons and was concerned about serious shortages.

Identified cases¶

20 August. Authorities identified 25 positive cases among detainees at the Praia prison.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

22 May. Four trucks loaded with food, hand-washing stations, hydroalcoholic gel and masks departed Brazzaville. They delivered their cargo to the prisons of Ewo, Ouesso, Owando, Impfondo, Djambala, Madingou, Dolisie, Mossendjo and Sibiti.

18 May. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Humanitarian Action donated pasta, rice, eggs, fufu, biscuits, tomatoes, sugar and oil, as well as feminine hygiene products and hydroalcoholic gel, to the Ministry of Justice to provide to inmates.

15 May. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in conjunction with the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), donated 100 hand-washing stations, 6 618 masks, 3 309 bottles of hydro-alcoholic gel, 208 boxes of soap and 99 sanitary pads for female prisoners to the prison administration. The management would allocate the donation to 1 103 prisoners, 23 of whom are refugees.

Sentence adjustments¶

7 May. The President announced the early release of 365 prisoners convicted of minor offences who had already served part of their sentence.

Appeals and recommendations¶

9 April. The Congolese Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH) and Act Together for Human Rights (AEDH) declared themselves concerned about the consequences of the epidemic in unsanitary and overcrowded penal facilities in the country. Generalised shelter-in-place had been preventing prisoners from receiving the necessary goods and hygiene products from their relatives. Both organizations demanded the release of imprisoned minors, sick and political prisoners, and those in preventive detention or sentenced to less than two years.

1 April. Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT) in Congo demanded “the overcrowding relief in prisons […] and respect for the judicial pledges of prisoners to fight against the coronavirus”. It warned against the increased levels of prison overcrowding, particularly in the Pointe Noire and Brazzaville prisons and on the lack of medical facilities. ACAT demanded to facilitate visits with the appropriate hygienic and protective devices, to release prisoners prosecuted for minor crimes or those sentenced to less than two years, and to pardon prisoners who had served half of their sentence.

Identified cases¶

3 July. A former head of the general staff of the armed forces and presidential candidate, aged 73, was transferred from the Brazzaville prison into an external hospital where he initially tested positive before a second test came out negative. His lawyers pleaded for his release on account of the state of his health.

22 May. A few prisoners were released following the recommendation of prosecutorial authorities. The government also announced that it would soon test all prisoners and that it plans to restore ad expand the Moroni prison.

20 March. The prison administration suspended prison visits. The Ministry of Health announced an awareness campaign in prisons. However, speaking on condition of anonymity, a prison official reported that soap was the only disinfectant product currently available in the three prisons of the archipelago. The National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms also expressed concern about “the insalubrity observed in prisons and that no measures are being taken by authorities to ensure the hygiene of this fragile segment of the population”.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

24 November. The poor quality food is threatening the prisoners health. The pandemic and overcrowding are worsening the situation. Abidjan prison is holding 7,000 inmates in a space intended for 1,500. Tuberculosis and beriberi disease are rampant. The food brought in from the exterior and the assistance from the International Red Cross Committee are barely keeping the inmates alive.

25 July. The local Rotary Club donated hygiene products, including hydroalcoholic gel, to the prison in Abidjan.

22 July. Abidjan Prison health workers were on strike. They demanded an exceptional bonus granted to health workers.

22 June. The European Union, ACAT Côte d’Ivoire and La Balle aux prisonniers (LaBAP) set up a programme worth 98 million CFA francs (€150 000) over several months aiming at improving prevention and protection measures within prison facilities. Teams would travel across the country to advise local administrations on the strategies to adopt. Donations of food, protective equipment and hygiene products were planned.

16 April. Prisonniers sans frontières (PRSF, Prisoners Without Borders) provided cloth masks, soap and bleach at the Holding and Corrections Prison of Abidjan.

10 June. The director of the protection of human rights donated 15 mattresses, disinfectant and insecticide to the Grand-Bassam prison. He recommended that the administration ensure proper cell ventilation, a sanitary follow-up and offer inmates adequate food.

9 June. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) gave the prison administration of Abidjan management over a new testing and quarantine centre. The centre was composed of several raised tents equipped with portable ventilators. Toilets were built behind the tents. It was located near the main infirmary of the prison.
The Ministry of solidarity, social cohesion and the fight against poverty gave the prison administration of Abidjan food (rice, oil and pasta) and hygiene products. It encouraged prison staff and inmates to scrupulously respect distancing measures.

9 June. Several handwashing stations were made available at the entrance and inside Sassandra prison. The delivery of food parcels to inmates was permitted despite the suspension of visits. Masks and gloves were distributed to the prison administration. Staff claimed that they adhered to strict isolation measures when there are new inmates and suspected cases. The prison had a capacity of 200 places and held 400 prisoners.

7 May. The Confederation of Muslim Women’s Organizations for Unity, Peace and Development in Côte d’Ivoire (Cofemci) organized its annual endowment ceremony at the Abidjan prison. In addition to food, the organization offered masks and handwashing kits.

15 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delivered its first shipment of sanitary products to Abidjan prison. All the prisons in the country would eventually receive, from the organization, 200 hand washing kits, 130 000 soaps, several liters of bleach and protective equipment for medical staff.

31 March. Social distancing measures are impossible to apply to the prison of Abidjan as overcrowding has increased to 450%. Unsanitary conditions, malnutrition, various diseases (tuberculosis, scabies, beriberi) and the shortage of medications are common.

Sentence adjustments¶

8 April. The government announced the early release of 1 000 prisoners at the end of their sentence and granted pardon to 1 004 common law prisoners. The president of the Observatory of places of detention, however, believes that “it is not enough”.

Contact with the outside world¶

1 October. The Ivoirian section of the Action des chrétiens pour l’abolition de la torture, (ACAT-CI) and the Balle aux prisonniers (LaBAP) presented a positive report, after four months of COVID-19 prevention protocols. The two organisations had provided awareness and training programmes to the inmates and staff, as well as medical supplies, food and sanitizing kits.

20 July. The National Council for Human Rights (CNDH) announced that it had visited all 34 prisons in Ivory Coast to observe the detention conditions. The CNDH recommended that special attention be paid to prisoners who were members of political parties and their right to information.

17 March. The prison administration suspended visits from 18 March to 16 April. Relatives can still send parcels and meals. Incoming detainees are to be isolated for 48 hours. Prison staff are required to scrupulously follow the hygiene and protection instructions formulated by the management.

Appeals and recommendations¶

5 September. The International Coalition against the Coronavirus (ICAC) demanded the release of Edith Gbalet, president of the Ivorian Civil Society (Alternative citoyenne ivoirienne,ACI). She has been incarcerated in Abidjan prison since mid-August and recently tested positive for the virus.

Identified cases¶

22 July. The number of inmates that had tested positive at Abidjan Prison was reportedly 91, according to the prison’s health staff. The director of the prison administration acknowledged the presence of six prisoners in the general population and about 50 in solitary confinement who had tested positive in Abidjan. Three prisoners tested positive at Dabou prison, while two others in Abengourou Prison, including one who had recovered, also tested positive.

30 June. Two inmates at Abengourou prison who tested positive were reportedly transferred to Abidjan prison. Sixty prisoners were being held in the facility’s isolation unit. One prisoner, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed that no medical treatment had been provided. The nine prisoners that had been transferred to an external hospital were said to have since recovered.

19 June. The number of inmates tested positive at the prison of Abidjan was thought to be 40. Two wardens were also reported to have tested positive.

13 June. The first testing campaign carried out at the Abidjan prison allowed for the identification of seven contaminated inmates. They were quarantined before being transferred to the Yopougon hospital. Sanitary and prison authorities declined questions on this topic.

10 June. The incarcerated brother of a political figure allegedly contracted COVID-19 at Adzopé prison. He was then transferred to a clinic in Abidjan.

25 March. The penitentiary administration refuted the presence of two coronavirus-infected inmates at the Abidjan prison. Two journalists were fined 5 million CFA francs (7 622 euros) for “dissemination of false information”, after announcing an inquiry into the subject.

24 March. Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT) reported the presence of two people tested positive for coronavirus in the Detention Center and Reformatory of Abidjan.

17 June. The CNDH visited Gabode prison. Officials, wardens and inmates were all filmed wearing protective masks. The commission met with an officer who was recently imprisoned for trying to defect. The lieutenant in question had managed, on 3 June, to spread images of his cell on the internet to condemn his conditions of imprisonment. These had then sparked a major protest movement in the country.

23 April. The Djibouti National Commission of Human Rights and Caritas Djibouti delivered sanitation products to the administration of Gabode prison for its inmates.

25 March. Djibouti National Commission of Human Rights welcomed the release of 178 inmates from the Gabode prison. It encouraged authorities to improve detention conditions and to implement social distancing measures.

23 March. All convicted prisoners benefited from a six months’ remission of sentence. This emergency measure allowed the early release of prisoners at the end of their sentence.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

28 July. A report by HRW indicated that there was a lack of medical care and testing in Egyptian prisons.

23 July. Reports from inmates indicated deteriorating health conditions and care. Inmates reported living in dirty and overcrowded cells and not having access to adequate ventilation, health care and running water. The prison authorities reportedly neglected to take steps to improve the situation.

20 July. Human Rights Watch pointed out that there were very few measures in place to quarantine prisoners with symptoms or to provide them with protective equipment. Inmates in at least three prisons were not permitted to obtain or wear masks.
Prisoners can obtain sanitizers and medication only if loved ones provide them.
Family and lawyer visits have been banned since 10 March.

17 July. A new hospital centre was set up at the Minya prison to treat inmates with COVID-19. However, the Committee for Justice believed that the centre’s capacity was limited and that medical care in prison had deteriorated.

10 July. The Ministry of Interior announced that a medical convoy was being sent to the Borg El Arab prison in Alexandria to perform tests on the inmates and staff and to sanitise the area.

28 June. The human rights organisation We Record reported that the quarantine centre installed in a wing of Scorpion prison (Tora) had reached maximum capacity.

16 June. A wing of the Scorpion Prison (Tora) was equipped as a quarantine centre for prisoners with COVID-19. A human rights organisation expressed concerns about the hygienic conditions of this wing. They were also concerned about the lack of medical equipment.

3 June. A number of human rights NGOs denounced the medical negligence of the prison system. Prisoners were reported to have had difficulties breathing, a cough and a fever without being tested or treated.

2 June. The Minister of the Interior announced measures aimed at reducing the transmission of coronavirus: disinfecting communal spaces, monitoring the temperature of external individuals before they enter the premises, a testing program, and supply of masks and disinfectant. These measures followed the death of a prison guard infected with COVID-19.

6 May. The Guardian reported the lack of medical care for the prisoners of conscience. “It is feared that COVID-19 will spread easily in institutions and become fatal, particularly with the prevailing medical negligence of detainees“.
Shady Habash, a young defendant, died in the Tora prison facility in (Cairo). Medical assistance was requested by his prison mates. “What happened to Shady was medical negligence”, singer Ramy Essam said.
Human rights lawyer Mahienour El-Massry and journalist Khaled Daoud begun a hunger strike to protest against the conditions of detention.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory revealed that five women prisons “[did] not meet the minimum living standards, nor the minimum settings to treat the prisoners.”

17 April. The Ministry of Interior announced that it was conducting tests on inmates of all national prisons.

11 April. The Ministry of the Interior announced that the establishments had been decontaminated at the beginning of the month. The transmission of money and cigarettes had always been done without protective measures when in contact with the supervisors acting as intermediaries.

9 April. The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) sued the prison administration in order to obtain authorization to bring health protection equipment into the prison. They also requested that prisoners be able to communicate with their families.

22 March. Prisoners from Tora prison, a.k.a. the “scorpion prison,” published a letter titled “Save us before it’s too late.” It exposes insanitation of the premises, as well as the absence of measures and equipment able to contain the coronavirus spread. It states that water is only available for two hours per day and that natural or mechanical ventilation is nonexistent. No device is set up to maintain contact with the outside world following visit suspension. Detained individuals are stressing the scarcity of medical visits and the difficulties of accessing hospitals.

Judicial system¶

19 May. Political prisoner Alaa Abdel Fattah ended his hunger strike after learning that the renewal of his pre-trial detention was being examined by the court.

8 May.. According to Amnesty International, judicial authorities decided to renew the provisional detention of hundreds of “prisoners of conscience”, without allowing their lawyers to defend them. The organisation warned that, by continuing to detain defendants beyond the twoyear limit, the country was violating its own laws. The President denied that he was detaining any political prisoners.

Sentence adjustments¶

5 June. The Ministry of the Interior announced the release of 837 prisoners. Among them, 168 were pardoned and 669 released on parole.

24 May. The President granted pardons to 3,157 prisoners on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr celebration.

25 April. The government announced that 3,778 prisoners had been pardoned and 233 had been released on parole.

Contact with the outside world¶

2 August Families stated that they did not get any news about their loved ones in prison. “Inmates do not have access to newspapers, radio or internet. How can they know about the coronavirus and how to protect themselves from it?”, explained a family member. The prisons were overcrowded, and had no clean water or ventilation, “some of the inmates have not left their cell since visits were suspended in March. Others have not stepped outside since the beginning of their incarceration”, said a psychiatrist. Families could send medications to loved ones in prison as long as they kept silent about the situation in prison. The wife of one of the inmates reported that: “Officers let me do it because I don’t say anything about my husband’s health. They threaten them to solitary confinement if we talk to the media about the coronavirus in prison”.

13 July. The Committee for Justice association reported that Gamasa prison inmates are not permitted to communicate with their families and lawyers.

17 April Activist Alaa Abdel Fattah undertook a hunger strike to protest against the ban on family visits implemented by the authorities since the start of the pandemic. He was also protesting against the President’s refusal to pardon political prisoners.

11 April. The newspaper El País reported that obtaining information on the situation of Egyptian prisons had become even more difficult since the suspension of visits and hearings that occurred at the beginning of March.

10 March. The government suspended all visits to prisoners for period of 10 days.

Acts of protest¶

11 September. Inmates at Scorpion prison in Cairo started a hunger strike. They were protesting the death of an inmate who the prison refused to transfer to hospital when he appeared to be having a stroke. Human rights organisations and the inmates denounced the inhumane conditions inside the prisons. They accused officials of adopting a “slow killing policy” against the opposition.

Appeals and recommendations¶

29 July. The organisation Reporters Without Borders demanded the release of journalists detained in the country. This appeal followed the death on 13 July of journalist Mohamed Monir as a result of COVID-19 a few days after his release from prison.

20 July. Human Rights Watch denounced the lack of medical care and the limited access to testing in prisons. It stated that the release of approximately 13, 000 prisoners since February was not enough.

9 July. The Committee for Justice organisation appealed again to the authorities to provide proper medical care for detainees. The Committee called on the authorities to allow detainees to communicate with their families by mail and telephone.

17 June. The association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) requested the release of prisoners in custody. It also requested the prison administration to take sanitary measures and to facilitate the communication between prisoners, lawyers and their families. The association called on the National Human Rights Council to monitor the procedures of the prison administration and to inform the public about the situation in prisons.

7 June. The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) was concerned about the strong likelihood of a health catastrophe in prisons due to the spread of the coronavirus. The association called upon the National Council for Human Rights to request the release of prisoners of conscience and those who had been held in pretrial detention for over two years. The association also asked that it demand the reinforcement of preventive measures, the implementation of regular testing campaigns and the provision of telephones to prisoners.

26 May. The details revealing over 3,000 prisoners who had been pardoned caused anger . No political prisoner was affected. These accounted for around 60,000 people. A third of them were in temporary custody.

5 May. Human Rights Watch appealed to the authorities to end imprisonment and torture, especially during the current pandemic.

6 April. Imprisoned doctors who are members of the Doctors Syndicate asked to be temporarily released in order to work in hospitals during the pandemic. They did not ask for any compensation for their work, or to go to their homes. They offered to reside in hospitals or the headquarters of subsidiary unions. They pledged to return to their prisons after the pandemic.

1 April. The Batel opposition movement demanded the release of more than a thousand doctors and health professionals to help fight against the COVID-19.

18 March. Activists gathered in Cairo to call for the conditional release of Egyptian prisoners. Supporters and families of political prisoners have growing concerns while the contamination spreads. In June 2019, several publications reported the lack of hygiene in penitentiary facilities. Public personalities joined in the petition for the release of political prisoners. They stressed that “the only way to prevent detention centers from becoming virus spread platforms” is to ”release as many prisoners as possible and keep the amount (of prisoners) at the lowest.” On November 19, the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions reported that the rough confinement conditions endangered the health and life of thousands of prisoners. The Human Rights Watch organisation called for Cairo authorities to release on bail to “prevent a disaster.” Theodora Christou, from the EuroMed Rights organisation, claimed that social distancing is not possible in prison. She added that prisoner release, including those arrested arbitrarily, is the only way to limit overpopulation and spare avoidable deaths.

12 March. Human Rights Watch recommends that all governments of countries that are affected by the COVID-19 proceed to conditional releases of prisoners. In the notoriously overcrowded, dirty and unsanitary Egyptian prisons, the organisation says, freeing prisoners is the only way to avoid a disaster. Researcher Amr Magdi called for the release of a number of people imprisoned for “peacefully exercising their rights”. He states that the sanitary conditions inside prison facilities are deplorable and make them very vulnerable to the spread of the COVID-19.

Identified cases¶

7 September. A 58 year old inmate died in Tora prison. He had developed health problems and symptoms of COVID-19 back in June. His brother claims medical negligence. He was the third inmate to die in this prison in the past three weeks.

3 September. Four prisoners died, between 31 August and 2 September, in three different facilities. An in-depth inquiry has been opened to determine the causes. Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced the medical negligence of prison officials. .

13 August. A 66 year old inmate who was not allowed visitors or contact with family for the last six months died from COVID-19 at the Scorpion prison.

1 August. Two inmates died from COVID-19. One was at the Wadi el-Natrun prison and the other at the Zagazig police station.

28 July. At least 15 inmates died from COVID-19 since mid-July in ten Egyptian prisons.

24 July. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in prisons was at 87. There were 192 inmates with symptoms but they had not been tested.

20 July. Human Rights Watch (HRW) revealed that 14 inmates have died from COVID-19 in 10 different prisons since 15 July

17 July. The Committee for Justice human rights group reported that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country’s prisons had reached 225. A total of 76 cases were confirmed and 149 were suspected, without test results.

9 July. One Zagazig prison inmatedied from COVID-19. This person had been transferred to hospital. The Committee for Justice reported that the number of inmates who died from COVID-19 had reached 15. The virus spread to 42 prisons around the country since the pandemic started.
A total of 49 inmates and prison staff tested positive and 144 others reportedly came down with COVID-19, without being confirmed by a test.

3 July. One Gamasa prison inmate died from COVID-19. This person had been in quarantine since 10 June, after showing symptoms. The Committee for Justice said that the inmate had not received any medical care. A detainee from the 10-Ramadan Central Security Forces camp died after being transferred to a hospital.

23 June. The human rights organisation Geneva Council for Rights and Liberties reported that at least 35 prisoners had died as a result of Covid-19.

22 June. The association Committee for Justice believed the coronavirus to be present in 18 of the country’s correctional facilities.

21 June. Inmates at Tora Prison asserted that 300 have symptoms of COVID-19. The latter were said to neither have received treatment nor been transferred to the hospital. These prisoners criticized the authorities’ silence on prison conditions. They demanded the transfer of sick people to the hospital, the sanitary isolation of those who have been in contact with them and the release of political detainees. Members of the “Hakkuhum” campaign maintained that two detainees died at the Al Ashir min Ramadan and Tanta prisons. They revealed that political detainees were transferred from Al-Mahalla hospital to Tanta prison despite the fact that they were not fully recovered.

15 June. An inmate who had contracted COVID-19 died in the Tora prison (Cairo).

8 June. The human rights association Committee for Justice stated that a prisoner had died from COVID-19.

7 June. A human rights organisation reported that there were infected prisoners in four of the cells of AlQanater prison. Prisoners had allegedly developed symptoms as early as 23 May and the absence of preventive measures seemed to have encouraged the spread of the virus.

5 June. The coronavirus seemed to be continuing to spread inside Tora prison, Cairo. Prisoners in a third cell block were showing symptoms of COVID-19.

1 June. A number of prisoners contracted COVID-19 in two of the four sections of the Tora (Cairo) prison. A human rights NGO denounced the refusal of the authorities to implement testing and for not disclosing the exact number of cases.

30 May. An officer at the Tora (Cairo) prison died following complications linked to COVID-19. Two lawyers confirmed that he was in contact with a large number of inmates. They asked for tests to be carried out.

28 May. An eighth person died following complications linked to COVID-19. She and fellow inmates were exhibiting symptoms but were denied care.

20 May. The Justice Committee reported that two people suspected of being infected with the coronavirus died while in custody.

Appeals and recommendations¶

15 August. A press agency announced the upcoming release of thousands of inmates for religious reasons. This decision was made to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 among prisoners.

13 July. The Human Rights Concern NGO called on the government to immediately release 10,000 prisoners of conscience who were being detained in 350 prisons across the country. The organisation raised the alarm about prison conditions and overcrowding. Between 100 and 400 inmates were forced to share the same cell. Shipping containers were reportedly used to lock-up some thirty people at a time.

21 May. Amnesty International alerted citizens on reports on the daily lives of prisoners. Civil and military prisons are overpopulated, including the Abi Abeyito prison, with about 2,500 prisoners in a space designed for 800. The Mai Serwa Asmera Flowers facility is not equipped with any toilet for the 700 prisoners living in it. Malnutrition and bad detention conditions accentuate and help spread many diseases. Medication is inaccessible, infirmaries are under-equipped and medical staff are under-trained.

The organisation called for the release of all prisoners of conscience, children, pre-trial detainees, and the sick and older people.

3 April. The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Eritrea demanded that the government release political prisoners and those imprisoned for minor crimes. Malnutrition, ill-treatment and the lack of care are common in the country’s prisons.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

2 April. Prisons are in lockdown. Visits were suspended. Prisoners usually relied on relatives to supplement their meals and provide them with personal hygiene products such as soap.

10 July. The maximum security section of Matsapha prison is overcrowded. Prisoners are wary of the guards who are free to come and go, maintaining their distance from them.

A prison spokesperson claimed that recently released prisoners were not freed because of COVID but as part of a pre-existing program.

9 May. UNICEF provided the equivalent of a three-month basic sanitary supply to 100 girls, 456 boys, 198 women and 12 young children detained in the kingdom’s prisons.

4 May. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provided toiletries and sanitary products to protect prisoners. A telephone fund was set up to allow the country’s 4,000 prisoners to communicate with their relatives due to visits being suspended.

18 March. Prison visits were suspended.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

7 September. In August, the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) donated personal protective equipment (27,750 masks, 17,600 gloves, 2,000 gowns/caps/aprons), waste bins, as well as sanitizers and hygienic products to 11 prisons and detention centres in the Oromia, Amhara,South Ethiopia, Somalia and Benishangul regions.

25 May. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission visited the Kalitiand Qilinto prisons, several Addis-Abeba police holding cells , as well as two schools that were holding people who had committed emergency state infractions. The local branches of the institution in the federated regions of ’Amhara, Tigré, Oromia, Afar and Somali were also investigating detention places.

With the exception of the Kaliti prison for women, none of the facilities visited could practice physical distancing. Some of the quarantine centres for new inmates were located into police stations. Education about prevention measures was provided. Guards and inmates were provided with personal protective equipment and sanitising products. There were sanitising procedures at the entries of some facilities.

6 May. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Government of Sweden provided protective equipment and medications to the Federal Prison Service. The supplies were intended to equip and protect more than 3 000 prisoners, 2 700 prison staff and 80 medical professionals. A second delivery of supplies was planned.

Sentence adjustments¶

9 September. The Attorney General announced the release of 551 prisoners for the Ethiopian New Year.

30 July. The Nigerian government and the Nigerian embassy repeatedly postponed the repatriation of 60 pardoned foreign nationals after asking them for $1 000 for transportation costs. They remained incarcerated in the Ethiopian prison of Kaliti. All other pardoned foreign nationals were deported to their countries of origin.

25 May. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission welcomed the large number of releases and early parole measures for prisoners.

6 May. The Federal Commissioner of Prisons reported that 40 000 prisoners were released since March, out of an initial prison population of 110 000. Those released were being held for minor offences or were nearing the end of their sentences. Prisoners were quarantined before their release.

2 April. Nearly 1 560 prisoners detained in police stations and regional prisons would avail from amnesty.

25 March. The president pardons 4011 prisoners from the Kilinto, Shewarobit, Ziway, Dire Dawa prisons and the Qaliti high security detention centre. The government is repatriating foreign inmates impacted by these measures.

Contact with the outside world¶

19 March. the Federal Prisons Commissioner banned access to prison for the families of prisoners, lawyers and chaplains. The ban is planned for a minimal period of 15 days. He also announced that two centers of isolation and treatment of infected prisoners would be opened. According to the tests results, there are 6 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ethiopia.

Appeals and recommendations¶

27 August. Ethiopia’s COVID-19 State of Emergency Inquiry Board has recommended that inmates who are eligible for a sentence adjustment be released in order to contain the spread of the pandemic in prisons and improvised detention centres (schools, city halls, warehouses, etc).

23 June. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission deplored the fact that not to follow emergency health measures was considered as an offense, resulting in many people being imprisoned. It recommended that civil sanctions be used instead.
An inquiry board close to the political power and several ministers believed that the Commission’s activities and conclusions were ”inappropriate” during the state of emergency.

25 May. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission recommended that the authorities ease up on sentencing requirements. It called for the implementation of several measures: that inmates who had special diet requirements be allowed to receive food packages from the outside; that testing procedures be generalised in conjunction with other epidemic preventative measures (HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis); that international organisations should provide financial and technical support for these measures.

7 May. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission requested that the government provide access to equitable justice for prisoners. It also demanded that prisoners be granted a limited number of visits, as well as phone calls.

Identified cases¶

14 August. A Kenyan journalist, who was arrested during a string of violent protests over the murder of singer Hachalu Hundessa on 29 June, tested positive. He reported, in a letter, that he was locked up ”with 68 other inmates positive for COVID-19 without access to medication, in overcrowded cells, without running water or a proper diet to suit their needs”. Ethiopian authorities transferred the journalist on 20 August to an outside isolation centre, following diplomatic pressure from Nairobi.

Health officials reported a rapid upsurge in the number of cases among the general population, some of them due to the recent release of prisoners. The government refused to disclose the exact number of inmates who had tested positive.

20 May. The authorities detected 66 positive cases among inmates at a prison in Addis Ababa. According to prison authorities, the outbreak occurred following the meeting between a prisoner and his lawyer.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

24 June. UNICEF and the Department of Human Rights of the Ministry of Justice gave a personal hygiene kit to the 183 underage inmates in the Libreville prison. This contained protective masks, soap, detergent, a toothbrush, toothpaste, towels, a T-shirt and sandals.

5 May. The World Health Organization (WHO) donated 10 hand-washing stations, hydroalcoholic gel and prevention posters to the prison administration.

7 April. Prison authorities affirmed that they can prevent the spread of coronavirus in prison. Libreville prison medical staff have received masks and thermometers. Visits and socio-cultural activities have been reduced.

30 April. The government set up a sewing workshop in Libreville prison to produce protective masks.

Judicial system¶

16 March. The Ministry of Justice suspended the majority of judicial hearings. The most serious offenses, deliberations and requests for provisional release were not affected.

Sentence adjustments¶

10 April. The President of the Republic pardoned 680 prisoners who had almost completed their sentence to relieve overcrowding in prisons.

Appeals and recommendations¶

27 May. The Network of Free Civil Society Organizations for Good Governance in Gabon (ROLBG) recommended that the government release more detainees, in particular from the Libreville prison. The Network estimated that the promised and undelivered release of 680 people that had been announced in April now “seem[ed] like a sinister joke in light of current stakes”. The Libreville prison, which was built for 350 inmates, held then over 3,500 prisoners, 70% of whom were still awaiting judgement.

25 September. An anonymous source indicated that about 60 people recently tested positive at Mile 2 prison. Of these, 22 are now considered recovered while the others remain in isolation. Most of the cases were identified among incoming inmates.

16 September. Two inmates at Mile 2 prison tested positive and were quarantined.

11 September. The prison administration enforced mask wearing, regular hand washing and screening the prisoners and staff. However, health professionals were concerned about overcrowding.

8 June. Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) Hearings resumed. They had been suspended for several months as part of preventive measures. The TRRC summoned several senior prison officials regarding the numerous allegations of torture and ill-treatment in Mile 2 prison under the presidency of Yahya Jammeh and to date.

4 May. A private foundation donated four hand-washing stations, 50 bags of rice and several dozen kilograms of sugar to Jeshwang prison.

29 April. UNICEF donated two hand-washing stations and sanitary and hygiene products to the prison administration. This equipment aimed to protect children detained in underage wards.

26 April. The President of the Republic pardoned 115 prisoners from three gaols: Mile 2 in Banjul (78), Jeshwang (24) and Jangjangbureh (13).

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

13 September. A Catholic organisation donated five hand washing stations, hydro-alcoholic gel, sanitary products, garbage cans and 500 reusable masks to Tamale prison. This is the second donation from the organisation since the beginning of the pandemic.

9 September. The Metropolis of Accra donated, from the Masks4All initiative, 4000 masks to the prison administration.

28 August. The government was pleased with their registration of 90 percent of inmates with the national health insurance program, ensuring their access to care. The system, which is free of charge, is expected to cover all prisoners in the country.

1 July. A private foundation providedKoforidua prison with protective barriers, hygienic and sanitary products as well as food and drinks.

22 June. The Perfector of Sentiments (POS) Foundation donated hand washing stations, masks, soap and hygiene products to Navrongo Prison. The facility, which was built to house 80, had then 210 prisoners. The Executive Director of the foundation reiterated his appeal and asked the authorities to release those accused or convicted of so-called minor acts.

17 June. The health authorities from the Volta region guaranteed that no prisoner would be excluded from receiving medical insurance. Their cards were renewed and those who did not possessed one received one. The POS foundation donated handwashing stations, sanitary products, thermometers, protective equipment and vitamin C tablets to theTamale prison.

5 June. The POS Foundation donated handwashing machines, alcoholbased hand sanitiser, soap, food and cotton for protective masks to Nsawam prison. Its coordinator requested that the authorities release people convicted for drug use to ease overcrowding.

4 June. A local councillor donated personal protective equipment, soap, alcoholbased hand sanitiser and a thermometer to Ho prison authorities in the Volta region. Journalists on the scene noted that very few prisoners and guards were wearing masks. Moreover, social distancing was impossible, and each cell housed 70 to 80 prisoners. The prison, with its capacity for 150 prisoners, held more than 423.

20 May. A religious leader donated handwashing stations, food, drinks and sanitary and hygiene products to Koforidua prison.
The deputy director of the prison deplored that the GH¢ 1.80 (about £0.25) the authorities received per prisoner per day (for three meals) was not enough to provide them with a balanced diet.
New inmates in the central and eastern regions of the country, as well as the metropolitan region of Accra, were being systematically transferred to Ankaful prison.

17 May. A private company disinfected the premises of Nsawam prison.

7 May. Fulani organisations donated 10 hand washing stations, 12 bottles of hydroalcoholic gel, 50 litres of soap and 150 masks, as well as food, to Akuse prison. The prison administration also provided a daily dose of vitamin C to the inmates.

24 April. A waste management company disinfected the prison of James Camp and the headquarters of the prison administration in Accra.

17 April. A local cleaning company, responding to the call for donations made by the prison administration, fumigated the whole Kumasi prison premises.

9 April. The prison administration at Sekondi appealed for the generosity to equip themselves with sanitary products. The prison services are particularly looking to fumigate the perimeters of facilities.

1 April. The Accra Technical University (ATU) donated sanitary equipment manufactured by its departments to the local prison. The prison administration said that it would ensure that each cell room was equipped with at least one hand-sanitiser.

17 March. Prison staff and prisoners would regularly clean the premises of the country’s 44 prisons.
The penal administration regularly faces epidemics such as tuberculosis, hepatitis, and, in 2018, H1N1 influenza.

7 March. About 8,900 prison officers were vaccinated against COVID-19. In 2020, 45 officers and 54 prisoners died from the pandemic.

Sentence adjustments¶

2 July. The President of the Republic pardoned 794 prisoners. These included prisoners completing their first sentence and prisoners who were gravely ill or over 70 years of age.

9 April. The president announced the forthcoming amnesty of 800 prisoners in order to reduce overcrowding in prisons.

26 March.. The president pardons 801 prisoners. Seven inmates on death row have seen their sentences reduced to life imprisonment.

Contact with the outside world¶

13 September. An international NGO has equipped the country’s 46 prisons with televisions to provide distance learning to prisoners.

17 March. Visits were limited to one per week and per prisoner. Visitors and staff must wash their hands, and their temperature would be at the facilities’ entrance. Outdoor work, collective religious services, public, and transfers were suspended. New prisoners would be placed in isolation for two weeks.

Appeals and recommendations¶

26 June. The POS Foundation appealed for the release of 24% of the 25,000 prisoners in the country. Its president felt it was urgent to free up the overpopulated prison establishments. He pleaded for the release of prisoners convicted of minor, non-violent crimes as well as elderly or sick prisoners. The Nsawam prison for example, which has a capacity of 815, held then 3,459 prisoners.

17 June. The president of the POS foundation requested to the President of the Republic, amnesty, thanks to the article 72 of the Constitution, for all convicted drug consumers and other non-violent offenders.

4 June. Prisoners at Ho prison in the Volta region requested that prison authorities set up an isolation block to prevent a potential spread of the epidemic. They also requested that minor offenders be released to ease overcrowding.

5 May. The deputy director of Kumasi prison urged the government to continue the decongestion of prisons. He called on his fellow citizens to stop stigmatising former prisoners and to help them reintegrate. Kumasi prison has an official capacity of 800 places, but houses more than 2,000 inmates.

24 April. The prison administration pushed for non-custodial sentencing in order to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

26 March. The Crime Check Foundation (CFF) is pressing the government to adopt more ambitious measures. The foundation highlights the risk faced by the elderly and prisoners in poor health, notably those suffering from tuberculosis. It also underlines the very high number of prisoners on remand. The foundation asks the government, philanthropists, and members of civil society to provide prison services with hand sanitiser, thermometers and other protection and hygiene equipment.

3 March Prison authorities proposed to move prisoners held in Kumasi prisons to new buildings, to alleviate overcrowding. These facilities have 450 available spaces for approximately 1,981 prisoners. The prison service stated: * “We cannot pretend that all is well. Incarcerated people are unable to maintain social distancing, as hundreds of them are crowded in cells”*.

Identified cases¶

2 December. Since March, officials have reported, 44 positive inmates and 54 positive staff members. Special rooms were designated for positive cases. Seven facilities are being kept strictly for new admissions.

17 June. An inmate with COVID-19 symptoms was tested positive at the Kumasi prison.

27 May. A prison officer from the Tamale Central Prison, in the North of the country, tested positive to coronavirus. Prisoners and prison staff are being randomly tested. Authorities are still awaiting some results.

21 May. The authorities stated that ten people held in the cells of two police stations in Accra had tested positive. Their codetainees, who tested negative, were transferred to Ankaful prison.

10 May. Authorities reported that prisoners have tested positive for coronavirus at Accra prison, without giving the exact number. Those who tested positive were held in solitary confinement.

1 May. A man sentenced to three years in prison tested positive prior to his admission to Mamobi prison in Accra. When the prison administration refused to admit him, the police requested permission from the courts to transfer him to one of the public health service’s quarantine facilities.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

21 June. The FPG donated handwashing stations, soap and bleach to the Kindia prison.

20 June. The Fraternité des prisons de Guinée (FPG) NGO donated 27 handwashing stations, 10 cartons of soap and two cartons of bleach to the Dubréka and Coyah prisons.

12 June. Prisonniers sans frontières (PRSF, Prisoners Without Borders)provided 20 bags of rice and 48 litres of oil to feed inmates at Conakry prison.

15 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) donated sanitary kits, hygiene products (soap, bleach, hydroalcoholic gel), masks and thermometers to the administration of Conakry prison.

Sentence adjustments¶

31 May. In honour of the month of the child, the Minister of Social Action, the Advancement of Women and Children announced the release of detained children. The Minister specified that 42 minors have already been released from the prisons of Conakry, Labé and Kankan. She called on NGOs and community actors to join the government’s action and provide assistance to these children.

Identified cases¶

28 August. Some twenty inmates and guards tested positive at the Labé prison. One of the head guards has died.

8 August. A second inmate and a prison guard tested positive at the Labé prison.

7 August. One inmate tested positive at the Labé prison. He was isolated from the rest of the inmates. He was expected to be transferred to the Conakry prison, where other sick inmates were being treated.

8 June. Health authorities identified 28 positive cases among inmates at Kindia prison, after testing 352 prisoners and 25 guards. Patients were transferred to Conakry prison for treatment.

28 May. The Ministry of Justice presented detailed information about the number of prisoners tested and infected at Conakry Prison. Authorities tested 572 prisoners out of a population of 1 458 and identified 66 positive cases: 53 men, four women and nine minors. The health authorities also stated that 47 of these cases had recovered.

23 May. A Kindia prison clerk died from coronavirus. Hundreds of prisoners are kept in the establishment. Authorities said that they had disinfected the grounds and confined the people, staff members and prisoners who had been in contact with the contaminated deceased.

11 May. The number of prisoners who tested positive within the prison of Conakry totaled 58. The prison and health authorities sheltered them in an isolated area of 300 places in the courtyard of the establishment. The administration established 15 days to screen the rest of the prisoners.

6 May. Two other prisoners died from the COVID-19 at Conakry prison. 1 700 prisoners are housed in communal cells in this facility. The 136 inmates who were detained with the two persons deceased were screened. More than fifty tested positive. The administration sought to set up an isolation ward within the facility.

29 April. One of the three prisoners who recently died at Conakry prison tested positive with coronavirus after a post-mortem analysis. A disinfection campaign for establishments was organized.

24 April. The Ministry of Justice reported on three suspicious deaths in Conakry prison. Prison visits were then suspended, except for visits from lawyers and doctors.

10 May. Nine people benefitted from pardons granted by the government.

8 May. The government considered pardoning convicted prisoners in order to relieve congestion in prisons. To be considered for a pardon, individuals must have already served half of their sentence and the crime for which they had been convicted must not involve homicide or drug trafficking.

24 April. Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS) called upon the government to ease overcrowding in police stations and prisons. It also requested the release of political prisoners, as well as those detained for non-violent offences.

A nurse temporarily left Black Beach prison after having been imprisoned one week prior for criticising the lack of equipment and oxygen in one of the country’s hospitals.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

24 August. Police cells across the country are currently overcrowded. Structures are being hastily built in West Pokot or Turkana to house those arrested. At Homa Bay, inmates are sent to do minor work (deforestation of the areas around official government sites) to free up space during the day and relieve the overcrowding in cells. Some inmates are also forced to remain in court corridors for several days.

14 August. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)provided Correction Services with 17,500 masks, 600 boxes of gloves, 1,000 containers and 250 bottles of hydro-alcoholic gel, as well as 18 laptops. Methadone doses were also provided for addicted inmates.

10 August. A multinational company took part in providing several thousands of litres of water to the Nairobi prison. Eighteen additional handwashing stations would also be installed.

30 June. The director of Siaya prison requested a quarantine zone to be set up in the facility, which was regularly receiving new prisoners.

22 June. Inmates at Kisumu prison were asked to put their feet in chlorinated water to disinfect their shoes. Hand-washing points were provided inside the facility. A member of the administration ensured that each prison officer wore a mask and that the premises were fumigated regularly. In spite of the recently granted sentence adjustments, overcrowding in prisons was an issue, especially due to the growing number of prisoners condemned for domestic or sexual abuse.

16 June. The Law Society of Kenya donated protective masks and soap to the prisons at Kamiti and Kiambu.

8 June. The local authorities linked to a training centre that was converted into a sewing workshop gave several hundred masks to inmates at Garissa prison in the northeast of the country.

3 June. The prison administration identified 20 prisons which would quarantine new inmates, for a minimum of 21 days, among the 129 prisons in the country. The Industrial Area prison became the quarantine facility for Nairobi. The prisons of Shimo la Tewa and Manyani were selected for the Mombasa region. The prisons of Garissa, Wajir and Mandera were designated for the north-east region of the country. A representative for the prison system affirmed that 11 000 individuals had already been granted early release.

28 May. Female inmates of Korinda prison did not have access to basic necessities, such as sanitary pads, which were usually brought by relatives during visits. A local organisation which provided 150 packs of sanitary pads and underwear in April, is now considering providing reusable products. Its coordinator is outraged at the sanitary conditions in detention and the lack of attention paid to women’s health in times of health emergencies.

25 April. A prisoner held in provisional detention anonymously told the press that none of the guards at Industrial Area prison, Nairobi, wore masks, which were often reserved for the officers. He shared his cell with 88 other people, some of whom suffered from coughing fits. New inmates were still regularly admitted, despite official announcements.

23 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)donated to the prison administration construction materials (masonry, plumbing) in order to renovate the sanitary facilities of penal establishments.

31 March. The Kenyan Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) distributed 60 000 soaps and installed devices to wash hands in the country’s prisons. Prison staff were also trained to prevent the spread of coronavirus in detention.

24 March. Prison authorities have begun vaccinating all staff members. The first phase involved 8,000 agents.

Judicial system¶

15 August. Homa Bay judicial authorities suspended their activities after discovering several positive cases among the staff of the prosecutor’s office.

31 July. A Supreme Court Justice ordered that Githongo court in Meru be closed to the public following the detection of several defendants who tested positive for COVID-19. Hearings continued to be held by videoconference.

30 June. A judge in Malava ordered citizens to settle cases of domestic violence outside the courts at a time when many people were forced to self-isolate at home. Perpetrators were asked to face local systems in villages. In response to the epidemic, the government sought to avoid saturating courts, police station cells and prisons.

16 June. The Law Society of Kenya donated computers and webcams to Kamiti prison and Kiambu prison so that prisoners’ hearings could be held remotely.

23 April. Since 16 March, Nairobi Appeals Court had delivered 89 judgements by video conference regarding prisoners held in the prisons of Kamiti, Garissa, Kisumu and Kitengela.

Sentence adjustments¶

11 May. The government announced that it had released more than 7 000 prisoners, decreasing the prison population from 54 000 to 47 000.

6 May. Courts and tribunals announced that, since the reduction of face-to-face hearings, they had delivered more than 7 000 judgments through digital devices. The European Union donated 38 computers, the majority of which were intended for use in prisons to facilitate hearings by videoconference.

The Law Society of Kenya was critical of videoconferencing. According to the organisation, videoconference trials were often botched because of insufficient access to court records.

2 April. The National Council for the Administration of Justice released 4 800 prisoners. Those convicted of minor offenses and those whose remaining sentence were less than six months would have priority over the other prisoners. The Council also suspended the application of arrests ordered before 15 March.

24 March. A judge from Mombasa orders commuted sentences for 180 inmates at the prison ofShimo La Tewa. The last inmates will complete their sentence at home while engaging in community service. The courts will remain closed until further notice.

Contact with the outside world¶

8 May. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) offered to the prison administration mobile phones for prisoners to maintain their family ties.

5 April. The government extended the suspension of visits until 11 May. Travel within establishments was reduced to a minimum. The prison administration also deployed medical personnel to all establishments to ensure that confinement was respected.

28 March. The Nairobi prison, Industrial Area prison, is in full lockdown. No one is allowed in or out of the facility. Prison staff and their families living in the prison compound are protesting the decision.

Acts of protest¶

31 August. Six untried prisoners escaped from a Kayole police station.

16 August. Eleven suspects reportedly escaped from police cells in Bungoma. Newly arrested inmates are being held in police cells because the prison administration requires a negative test before each admission.

Identified cases¶

1 December. Eleven Maralal inmates tested positive. They were transferred to a separate quarantined area of the prison. More than 1,700 inmates have tested positive since the start of the pandemic in the country.

3 November. Narok prison went into lockdown after 26 inmates and two prison warders tested positive for COVID-19.

23 October. The health authorities counted 1,700 positive cases among prisoners since the virus first arrived in the country. Overcrowding is believed to be the main cause. When COVID-19 arrived in the country, prison facilities hold 55,000 inmates for 30,000 places.

6 October. Thirty-five Nairobi prison inmates tested positive. The remand centre is now closed to new prisoners.

27 August. Authorities identified 27 infected inmates at Embu prison, which currently houses more than 1,500 people.

21 August. Officials identified 48 positive cases among prisoners of the Kericho prison, which is now under lockdown.

16 August. Health officials reported 16 positive cases among the newly arrived inmates to the Homa Bay prison. They were placed in quarantine, and administration insured that there was no contact with the rest of the inmates.

6 August. Officials identified 96 prisoners with COVID-19 at the Migori prison.

28 July. A person detained in Kerugoya prison tested positive. Six police officers who recently escorted her to court were being quarantined at home as a preventive measure.

19 July. Three inmates of Kangeta prison and one inmate of Meru GK prison tested positive.

18 July. Three guards tested positive at Naivasha Prison.

30 June. An inmate at Nakuru prison tested positive. The other 48 prisoners who had been in contact with the patient were placed in quarantine.

17 June. An inmate from Mbale prison tested positive, shortly after being transferred from a neighbouring police station. The health authorities tried to trace all his acquaintances within the prison and at the police station. Four other detainees were placed in solitary confinement.

16 June. Two defendants from a police station in the Mombasa region tested positive. The health authorities identified 10 detainees who were recently transferred to the Shimo La Tewa prison and 28 police officers who had been in contact with them. Tests were carried out. Some sources mentioned the presence of two other detainees who tested positive at the Mombasa central police station.

13 June. An inmate from the Manyani high-security prison tested positive to COVID-19. He was evacuated to a hospital nearby and one of his co-detainees was placed in quarantine. A rapid response team was mobilised to identify other people in the prison who had been in contact with the patient.

31 May. Authorities tested 59 inmates of Industrial Area prison in Nairobi and identified 31 new positive cases among those tested. Infected inmates were transferred to external health facilities.

28 May. One inmate of Embu GK prison tested positive. His transfer to Nairobi was being prepared.

9 May. Two prisoners on remand in the Industrial Area Prison in Nairobi tested positive. The administration placed another 42 prisoners in solitary confinement.

13 March. The first case of an infected prisoner was confirmed. The health minister announced a full ban on visits for prisoners for the coming 30 days.

24 November COVID-19 is adding to the food shortage and prisons are short of money. Families have been unable to bring food to their loved ones since visits have been cancelled. To tackle the situation, inmates are growing their own food.

23  September. Two former soldiers detained at Maseru prison decried overcrowding. They reported that there are times when three inmates have to share a single blanket. In addition, the facility allegedly has no running water. One of the soldiers stated that “tuberculosis and abscesses are common in prison [and…] it can take up to a week to see a doctor”.

4 August. A banking company donated sanitary items for female inmates at the Maserue, Maputsoe and Mohale’s Hoek prisons.

23 March. The Prime Minister urged prison officials to relieve overcrowding in prisons. He called for a decrease in new admissions. New inmates were subjected to a temperature check upon their arrival.

Visits have been banned since March.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

9 September. Several inmates at the Gbarnga prison, in the county of Bong, suffer from pneumonia, malaria and other illnesses. The roof is in such poor condition that rain is entering the building. Dozens of inmates are forced to sleep on wet floors. The head of the facility blamed political inaction and called on the government and the rest of society to donate building materials.

29 July. The manager of a police station in the Monrovia region indicated that the temperature of all new inmates would be taken. All new inmates would be required to wear masks and physically distance in cells of up to four inmates. They would stay in the cells for several days before being transferred to court or another less overcrowded facility. A police spokesperson said that “space is our problem, so we try to decongest our cells by ensuring that less serious cases can be dealt with at the community level.

12 June. The Indian Community in Liberia donated 200 bags of rice and vegetable oil to the detainees of Morovia prison.

5 June. Two civil society organisations funded by the European Union donated medicine to the prison administration.

27 May. The United Nations, with the support of the Irish and Swedish governments, provided the prison administration with hydroalcoholic gel, hand-washing stations, sanitary products, gloves and clothing.

20 April. The State Exchange Alumni of Liberia (SEAL) organization donated masks, hydroalcoholic gel and mineral water to Morovia central prison. The organization called on the government to decongest prisons.

26 March. Social distancing measures are in place in prisons. Certain inmates are transferred from the most crowded prisons towards the Grand Gedeh County high security centre, the largest in the country.

Sentence adjustments¶

23 June. Since the start of the epidemic, Prison Fellowship Liberia managed to secure the release of 300 prisoners on bail. The Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation recorded 2 300 prisoners in its system on 10 June, compared to 2 700 prisoners in December 2019.

31 May. The Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) obtrained the release of 200 people being held in pre-trial detention at Monrovia Prison in the previous two months. The LNBA had been advocating for greater decongestion of prison facilities. With the support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the LNBA provided masks and hydroalcoholic gel to released prisoners and their families.

26 March. The Justice Minister announces the early release of certain prisoners detained for petty crimes.

Contact with the outside world¶

23 June. Attorneys could visit their clients in prison, as long as they adhered to the health and safety measures. Many of them were concerned about the prison conditions, the presence of other diseases, the lack of medicines and overcrowding in prison facilities.

26 March. Social distancing measures are in place in prisons. Visits are suspended until further notice. Special measures are introduced at the entrance of detention centres to wash hands and take the temperature of external visitors.

Appeals et recommendations¶

23 June. Many NGOs feared that the disorganised release measures taken would increase criminal activity.

27 May. A representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) urged the government and prison authorities to release inmates in order to ease congestion in prisons.

14 April. The NGOs Her voice Liberia and Sister’s hand demanded the government to pay special attention to the prison population. They recalled that malnutrition and lack of space made the prison population particularly at risk. Protective actions and social distancing are not possible in the country’s prisons.

1 April. The non-governmental organization Rescue Alternatives in Liberia demanded the early and provisional release of prisoners and the reduction of confinement for migrant populations.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

3 June. The Ministry of Justice announced the distribution of medical equipment in prisons to curb the spread of the virus.

Sentence adjustments¶

 9 September. The Ministry of Justice announced the release of 54 prisoners from the prison of Tripoli.

29 July. The Ministry of Justice announced the release of 582 prisoners to stop the spread of coronavirus in prisons.

7 April. The Justice Minister announced the release of 1 347 prisoners. Other elderly prisoners, those with underlying health conditions or who had completed half of their sentences could also be released.

28 March. Tripoli government released 466 prisoners, mainly those awaiting judgment. Other releases were planned for prisoners who served more than half their sentences, the elderly and the sick.

Appeals and recommendations¶

29 March. Human Rights Watch demanded the authorities to release defendants, migrants sentenced for illegal stays, minors, and detainees sentenced for non-violent offenses.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

28  September. Civil society organisations sent 200 washable sanitary pads and 100 cloth masks to female inmates at Antanimora prison.

4 June. The Agence française de développement (AFD – French Development Agency) gave €5 million to prison authorities. The Ministry of Justice hoped to be able to improve hygiene and living conditions in prisons and encourage the reintegration of prisoners.

11 May. TheMarofoto prison was disinfected in order to prevent the propagation of dengue fever, which was affecting the region.

25 May. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supplied to the Ministry of Justice 10 000 masks, 3 000 pairs of rubber gloves, 2 000 bottles of hydroalcoholic solution, 500 litres of liquid detergent, 200 litres of sanitary products and 100 hand-washing stations aimed at preventing the spread of the epidemic in prison establishments.

The Ministry of Justice said that new detainees were systematically being confined for two weeks upon arriving to the prison. According to the numbers reported by national television news, the Antanimora Central Prison has confined 800 prisoners to sanitary confinement. Approximately 160 prisoners are also being quarantined at the Ambatondrazaka prison, and 80 prisoners at the Tsiafahy prison.

20 April. The organisation Grandir Dignement continued its activities in four youth facilities, in particular by providing meals and care in the youth section of Antanimora. The Indian Congregation Zanatany of Madagascar (CIZAMA) donated sacks of wheat, as well as soap and hydroalcoholic gel, to the Manakara prison administration.

10 April. A deputy handed 250 washable masks, 65 boxes of soap, 16 bags of rice and 100 kilograms of black beans to theMarofotoprison. He promised to ensure the visiting room of the prison would be renovated.

Judicial system¶

16 July. Appearances before the Arivonimamo trial court were put on hold. Inmates would no longer be transferred to the courts in the region until further notice. Holding new arrivals in custody also stopped, except for unusual circumstances.

8 July. The partial containment of the capital and numerous health measures slowed down the processing of court cases. The Minister of Justice instructed civil court judges to deal only with urgent cases. The activities of the courts of cassation, the administrative and financial courts and the Council of State might be suspended.

4 April. A journalist was incarcerated because of his criticism of the government’s management of the epidemic. She was awaiting trial and risked five years in prison.

Sentence adjustments¶

27 June. The President of the Republic granted early release for the island’s prisoners on the day of the national holiday. All prisoners aged over 60 for men and over 55 for women, who had already served at least 10 years in prison, including those serving a life sentence, were released at once. All those serving a sentence of less than three months and all minors who served half of their sentence were also released. Several hundreds of prisoners were released on that same day. Prisoners charged with corruption, embezzlement, money laundering, murder, indecent assault, damage to natural resources and repeat offenders were, however, excluded from this measure. The decree only affected those who had been tried, which accounted for half of the prison population. The charity Grandir Dignement was also concerned about the conditions for release and the lack of support for young prisoners.

3 May. The President announced the release of all imprisoned journalists. He also stated that he believed that the “exceptional situation” created by the pandemic justified the current crackdown on freedom of information.

Contact with the outside world¶

8 July. The containment in correctional facilities increased. Contact with the outside world was prohibited. Chaplaincies suspended their activities in detention, while external transfers to court or hospital were cancelled. The Minister of Justice announced the systematic screening and isolation of new arrivals, as well as the implementation of strict health controls for prison officers.

25 May. Although visits have been suspended, delivering food parcels is still authorized.

19 March. Visits were suspended at the Marofoto prison. Prisoners could request to send and receive SMS messages in order to maintain their relationships with friends and family. The prison complex housed 700 prisoners, including 90 women and 62 minors.

Acts of protest¶

23 August. Some one hundred inmates escaped from the Farafangana prison. More security forces were brought in to help. Twenty of the escapees were shot by the security forces and 39 were caught. Eight of them were seriously injured. The director of the regional prison administration insisted that this was the result of exceptional circumstances: ”it must be said that the situation has been a difficult one for some time because of the health measures. Rules have been stricter than usual to protect the inmates from outside contamination. For example, there was the suspension of family visits. I think this may have affected the inmates psychologically”.

2 June. Six prisoners escaped from the sanitary isolation block at Ambatolampy prison. They took advantage of its rushed construction and the lack of a reinforced door to break through the walls and escape.

Appeals and recommendations¶

22 October. Amnesty International denounced detention conditions and the excessive use of pre-trial detention (54% of the prison population). President Rajoelina is not taking steps to clear the country’s prisons, despite his announcement the previous year. In August, prison facilities hold 27,000 prisoners for 10,000 places. The Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern and Southern Africa said: “The COVID-19 pandemic could make this appalling situation worse, and there must be immediate action to protect detainees.”

28 August. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern following the violent repression of the uprising at Farafangana prison. He underlined the poor conditions of detention of the facility and pointed out that the lives of inmates were already in danger before the uprising.

13 June. Organisations expressed concern anonymously regarding detention conditions, malnutrition and lack of sanitary tools. They hoped that the government would pardon a large number of prisoners on 26 June, on the national holiday.

13 April. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called the government to release 1,052 minors incarcerated on the island, 63% of whom were in pre-trial detention. The international organisation said it was ready to work with the authorities to facilitate the adjustment of their sentences and protect them from the epidemic. Detention centers are generally dedicated to boys. Girls are locked up with women. Due to overcrowding, some juvenile areas also serve as quarantine and seclusion areas.

3 April. Amnesty International urged the government to decongest the overpopulated and unhygienic prisons of Madagascar. According to the organization, the measures taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus (taking the temperatures of detainees and prison personnel, suspending visits and disinfecting premises) are insufficient. The country is regularly prone to epidemics of pneumonic plague. These impact the prison population.

Identified cases¶

21 July. The director of the penitentiary administration revealed that eight female and four males inmates tested positive at Antanimora prison in Antananarivo. Two of them were transferred to an outside health facility because of pre-existing conditions (diabetes and HIV/AIDS). The director of the facility also had symptoms characteristic of COVID-19. He was being treated in a hospital.

16 July. Six inmates tested positive at the Arivonimamo prison. Some fifteen other inmates and prison guards were quarantined as a precaution.

18 June. The number of prisoners that tested positive at Toamasina reached 41. The prison authorities were said to have carried out 179 tests since the start of the public quarantine.

13 June. The Ministry of Justice announced that a detainee had tested positive at Antananarivo prison, and 35 detainees at the Toamasina prison. The contaminated men, women and underage people were evacuated to external health establishments.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

 14 September. A private disinfection company initiated a fumigation campaign in all the prisons in the country.

9 September. A Catholic association financed a mask-making workshop at the Mzuzu prison. Its production should ultimately make it possible to equip the entire prison population. The association also supplies sanitary and hygienic products to other prisons in the northern part of the country.

17 August. Prison officials transferred most of the country’s 138 female inmates to remote facilities. The measure is meant to free up space in prisons close to urban centres. The inmates foundd themselves deprived of seeing their families, who brought them their basic supplies.

25 July. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) distributed protective equipment (masks, uniforms, and boots) to the prison administration.

4 August. The Minister of the Interior planned to distribute risk premiums to prison guards because of “their increased risk of infection”.

27 May. The Malawi Red Cross distributed prevention flyers at Nsanje Prison and promoted handwashing. The coordinator considered it necessary to develop a “comprehensive social approach” to prevent the spread of coronavirus and to reintegrate prisoners upon release.

26 April. An African international bank provided prisons with 62 handwashing buckets and 50 litres of sanitiser.

9 April. Prisoners at the Zomba Prison expressed their fear of the risk of the spread of the coronavirus. Social distancing practices were impossible to apply. The establishment did not have enough soap for thousands of prisoners. The prison administration tested the incoming detainees for HIV and tuberculosis but did not possess the necessary test kits for the COVID-19. The President of the Republic announced the forthcoming release of imprisoned minors, those convicted for minor offenses and those at the end of their sentence.

Sentence adjustments¶

14 August. The president of the Republic pardoned 499 prisoners in an effort to reduce congestion in the prisons.

27 April. In two weeks, the Chilungamo Programme had enabled the early release of 1 397 prisoners who were nearing the end of their sentence or who had been sentenced for minor offences. The aim of the programme was to make it easier to relieve overcrowding in the country’s prisons by promoting sentencing adjustments.

Acts of protest¶

24 April. The supervisors on strike at the Blantyre, Zomba and Mzuzu prisons were confronted by the army and the police in all the different facilities. The latter took then responsibility for security at the Zomba prison. The supervisors refused to proceed with the release of 184 prisoners, stated the prison’s Inspector. The staff demanded for the government to respond to their requests. They demanded an improvement in their working conditions and more preventive measures against the spread of the epidemic in prison. A supervisor at the Mzuzu prison said that the facility received between 10 and 15 new prisoners each day, who would not have been tested.

Appeals et recommendations¶

6 August. A coalition of NGOs called on the government to decongest prisons. There were then more than 14,000 prisoners, with a capacity of 5,000 places. The coalition called for the release of seriously ill (including tuberculosis) and elderly persons. The coalition expressed concern about the limited number of tests carried out in the country’s prisons.

26 April. The British NGO Reprieve was concerned about the threat that the epidemic posed to the prison population and the elderly and sick prisoners in particular.

Identified cases¶

1 December. Officials reported that there were no longer any active COVID-19 cases in prisons. Since July, 463 cases have been reported.

21 August. Eleven prisoners out of the 25 who were recently pardoned at the Chitipa prison tested positive.

10 August. One prisoner died from COVID-19 at the Maula prison. The number of infected inmates then increased to 118.

6 August. Several defendants who tested positive at a police station in Nkhotakota were transferred to Maula prison in Lilongwe, where there was a dedicated isolation ward.

July 25. The number of inmates who tested positive in the prisons at Blantyre andNkhata Bay increased to 52 and 17, respectively. One guard also tested positive at Mzimba prison.

23 July. Prison authorities identified 13 infected prisoners at Nkhata Bay Prison.
The Interior Minister stated that 51 prisoners and 20 prison officers had tested positive nationwide. He announced early releases, including of elderly inmates and inmates suffering from tuberculosis.

16 July. One Chichiri prison inmate at Blantyre tested positive. The administration announced that it was taking appropriate preventative actions.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

12 August. A workshop for making masks was set up at the Bamako prison. The International Red Cross Committee (IRCC) bought 500 masks a week directly from the prisoners who made them, and then re-distributed them.

 8 July. The United Nations provided to the prisoners and staff members at Gao, Tombouctou, Mopti and Kidal prisons hand-washing stations, protective equipment and hygienic and sanitary products. Kidal prison is administered by the protesters of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA).

24 June. An NGO donated four hand washing stations, 150 washable masks and hygiene products to Koulikoro prison.

8 May. A visitor to Bamako prison confirmed, on condition of anonymity, that the guards were not wearing masks, contrarily to the announcements made by the authorities, and that there was a lack of hygiene products. He deplored conditions in the prison, including sanitary conditions, the disrepair of the buildings and overcrowding.

24 April. The Project to Support Justice in Mali (PAJM) and the Mandela Prison Project, implemented by the United Nations, donated equipment and hygiene products to the prison administration. The prison received 80 hand-washing stations, 120 bottles of hydroalcoholic gel and 40 thermometers. A large part of the donation was destined for Bamako prison.

30 March. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delivered 10 tons of hygiene and sanitation products and 48 hand-washing stations to 11 prisons and 5 400 prisoners across the country. The organisation made a recommendation directed towards the prison administration and legal institutions to relieve congestion and limit the number of admissions to detention.

Sentence adjustments¶

22 May. The Coordination des mouvements de l’Azawad (CMA), an alliance formed by former militant Tuareg independence groups, pardoned 21 inmates of Kidal prison. When stating its reasons for the pardons, the party invoked, among other things, prevention of the epidemic. The Bamako government considered the decision to be an infringement of its sovereignty.

20 May. The president of the Republic pardoned 400 prisoners.

8 May. So far, 86 prisoners had been pardoned. An unknown number of prisoners was soon to be transferred to the less crowded prison of Mandé.

6 April. The President of the Republic pardoned 1 200 prisoners. The Minister of Justice requests the prisons to take the necessary measures. The Bamako prison, with an initial capacity of 400 places, has more than 2 400 prisoners.

Acts of protest¶

5 June. Prison guards at the Bamako prison shot four prisoners and left eight others wounded after an escape attempt. The prison administration said that they were trying to join an ongoing protest against the government.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

9 November. A member of the prison administration announced that it purchased 250,000 reusable masks and more than 16 million single-use masks for prisoners and prison officers. The prison administration denounced the lack of guidance from the Ministry of Health. An intervention by the Red Crescent was crucial and it was reported that prison doctors are not well-trained.

9 July. Staff members at local prisons in Tanger 1 and Safi and the central prison of Moul El Bergui were quarantined again following the detection of new positive cases. The prison administration went ahead with testing staff and new arrivals.

30 June. The field hospital set up at Ouarzazate prison was shut down. No new positive cases were identified.

15 June. The Algerian Red Cross donated 4,000 masks to the Sahrawi Red Cross for Sahrawi inmates at Moroccan prisons.

16 April. The prison administration launched a digital platform of support and psychological assistance for staff and inmates.

18 June. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) supported the prison administration by financing their agenda on the production of masks made by prisoners.

1 June. The European Union allocated a fund of DH 2 million to prison authorities to enable them to purchase health equipment and step up the fight against the spread of the coronavirus.

21 May. The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) unveiled its action plan to combat the spread of the coronavirus in prisons until the end of August.
DGAPR announced that new prisoners were subjected to medical exams. The action plan also aimed to control prisoners’ movements within prisons, by prohibiting unauthorised movements between the cells and rooms.
Cultural, artistic and sports programmes were being progressively reinstated, in accordance with preventive health measures.

9 May. The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) decided to close the local prison of Oujda to ensure the safety of prisoners and officers. DGAPR was transferring the prisoners to nearby prisons.
Construction works on the new local prison of Oujda were nearing completion.

26 April. The prison administration banned the transfer of prisoners to hospitals, except in case of emergencies. Distanced medical consultations were made available.

25 March. The prison staff work alternative schedules to limit the risks of spreading the coronavirus. The supervisors who have been in contact with detainees are placed in quarantine.

22 March. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is questioned on the health situation of political activists and other prisoners, which coincides with a “humanitarian tragedy”.

10 March. Prisoners in Rabat [are eligible](https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2021/03/337024/covid-19-morocco-launches-vaccination- campaign-in-prison-near-rabat /) for their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, depending on their age. They will receive the second dose 28 days after the initial injection.

Judicial system¶

26 May. The prison administration indicated that the treatment of lawyers during the resumption of direct communication between detainees and lawyers on 1 June would be as it was before the pandemic. This clarification followed the reactions from the representative bodies of lawyers, which disapproved the expression of “searching lawyers before accessing prisons” which was presented on an informative document stating health precautions.

1 May. According to the prosecutor, 960 detainees received judgement since the implementation of distanced trials. The trials took place in 65 equipped rooms across the prison system. Eleven prisons did not provide access to any such rooms.

26 April. The prison administration banned the transfer of prisoners to courthouses. Hearings must take place at a distance.

16 March. The General Delegation of the Penitentiary and Reintegration Administration (DGAPR) announced that the administration recruitment examination was to be postponed due to the coronavirus epidemic spread.

Sentence adjustments¶

28 October. King Mohammed VI pardoned 931 inmates for the feast of Aid Al Mawlid Annabaoui.

20 August. King Mohammed VI granted pardon to 673 convicted prisoners during the Fête de la jeunesse (Youth Day). The number released from prison was 151.

19 August. King Mohammed VI granted pardon to 550 convicted prisoners as part of the Révolution du Roi et du Peuple memorial day. Among these, 78 were released from prison.

29 July. The King granted a pardon to 1,446 convicted persons on the occasion of Throne Day. The Royal Pardon concerned 1,267 prisoners who had been granted early release, sentence reductions or commutation of sentence.

23 May. The King granted a royal pardon to 483 people for Eid al-Fitr.

5 April. The King pardonned 5,654 prisoners. They were selected based on their age, health, “good conduct” and the length of their detention. They will be released in stages.

21 March. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports announces the release of 251 minors from detention centers.

Contact with the outside world¶

9 November. All visits have been suspended since 8 September. Eighteen prisons installed landline telephones in individual cells.

27 August. Family visits have been suspended until further notice due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. This measure affects Ain Sebaa 1 and 2, Ain Borja in Casablanca, Salé 1, El Arjat 1 and 2, Kenitra local prison, the Oudayas prison complex in Marrakech, Tangier 1 and 2, the prison at Tetouan, Ras El Mae, Bourkayez, as well as the reform and rehabilitation centre at Ain Sebaa.

24 July. Relatives of inmates were allowed to bring them food beginning the second day of Eid. A protocol was in place to ensure that health standards were respected.

16 July. According to some of the media, visits and parcels of clothing were banned in the Ain Sbaa prison. The prison administration denied this report. It stated that a protocol designed to prevent the arrival of a large number of visitors at a time had been sent to the families.

13 July. Family visits resumed in most of the prisons. Sanitising protocols must be followed.

26 June. The prison service refuted the information reporting the rise in phone call costs within prisons. The service stated that the phone call costs in the country’s prisons were three times lower than the cost in the outside world. It reported setting up a secure call system and increasing the number of telephones available.

24 June. The prison service postponed resuming visits to 13 July. This announcement came after new cases had been recorded in several of the country’s towns and regions.

21 May. The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) announced that visits would progressively resume according to an upcoming calendar. Family visits should resume in July.
18 March. The prison administration implemented measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. The number of visitors is now limited to one per prisoner and each prisoner is entitled to a maximum of one visit per month. On the same day, the administration specifies that no case has been yet detected in Moroccan prison facilities.

Acts of protest¶

20 July. Saharawi inmates at the Kenitra central prison and the Tiflet 2 local prison held a hunger strike to show their solidarity with Ahmed Esbaai, honorary president of the Association sahraouie de protection des prisonniers politiques (Saharawi Association for the Protection of Political Prisoners)¸ who had a cardiac arrest in a Moroccan prison. According to the League for the Protection of Saharawi Political Prisoners, this heart attack was the result of negligence: it believes that the correctional services is denying Saharawi political prisoners their right to access medical care, including during the current coronavirus crisis.

Appeals and recommendations¶

5 September. Members of the European Parliamentcalled for the release of all Hirak political prisoners in a letter addressed to the government leader Saadeddine El Othamni. They highlighted that Hirak political prisoners were at risk of contracting COVID-19 due to overcrowding, lack of access to medical care, and their overall weakened state due to their intermittent hunger strikes.

4 September. Members of the National Human Rights Council (NHRC) visited Hirak inmates who are on a hunger strike at the Ras El-Ma prison in Fès. The NHRC produced a comprehensive report on their visit, and on the health condition of striking inmates. It also acted as a mediator to put an end to the hunger strike, that is taking a toll on the health of prisoners.

27 June. The President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic called for the UN to intervene with the Moroccan authorities to ask them to improve the conditions for Sahrawi prisoners and approve their release. This appeal was a result of the rapid spread of the virus over several days in the occupied town of El-Ayoun and the surrounding area.

15 June. The president of the Sahrawi Red Crescent declared he was extremely concerned about the situation of the Sahrawi political detainees after the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country’s prisons. He regretted the lack of information about the situation of these detainees. He reiterated his call to the international community and inquired them to monitor their health conditions, ensure their protection, and work for their release.

25 April. Saharawi prisoners incarcerated in Moroccan prisons reported poor hygiene and a lack of health measures. An organisation supporting them, as well as the Norwegian government, were concerned about the situation.

26 March. The Commission of defense of Muslim Inmates asks the Moroccan authorities to honour, in the context of the pandemic, the agreement signed in 2011 which anticipated the gradual release of individuals detained for terrorism offences.

25 March. The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner called for the release of Saharawi prisoners in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

19 March. The Moroccan Prison Observatory (OMP) called for the prison administration to release prisoners at the end of their sentence, minors awaiting trial, people over 65, prisoners of conscience and activists considered peaceful. A “glaring lack of infrastructure and medical personnel” can indeed lead to a wide dissemination of COVID-19 in Moroccan prisons. OMP also called for the Presidency of the Moroccan Public Prosecutor’s Office to postpone the referrals of defendants arrested while on trial and their actual trials.

Identified cases¶

9 November. The authorities counted 586 cases and four deaths among inmates between April and November. There were 515 cases among prison staff.

3 November. Thirty-one inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus up until now. Four inmates have died since the pandemic started. Prison officials (DGAPR) recorded 586 positive cases between 14 April and 2 November.

26 August. The General Delegation of the Penitentiary and Reintegration Administration stated that no COVID-19 cases have been detected at Ain Sebaa I prison, and that the reports of confirmed cases among inmates are “unfounded.” It specified that preventive measures are strictly applied within correctional facilities, and that screening tests are systematically carried out for officials returning from leave.

7 July. Inmates tested positive in the local prisons of Tanger 1 and Safi and in the central prison of Moul Bergui. The prison administration stepped up preventive measures and suspended visits to the three prisons.

6 July. The prison administration indicated that 20 prisoners who had recently arrived at the Tanger 1 local prison tested positive.

5 June. Prison authorities announced that 48 of the 66 prisoners who had contracted COVID-19 at Tangier 1 prison had recovered. 14 others had been placed in quarantine while they awaited the results of the tests that should confirm their recovery. One prisoner was still being treated. Two had died and two others had been released. Among the 26 officers infected at the prison, 15 had recovered and 11 were still in quarantine. The prison authorities announced that 75 prisons were unaffected.

8 May. An employee at the local prison of Ain Borja, Casablanca, two officers at Taounate prison and a new inmate at Beni Mellal prison tested positive. A driver working for Bourkaiz prison, Fez, also tested positive.
DGAPR announced two recoveries in the prisons of Loudaya, Marrakech, and Ksar El Kebir, Tangier.
The health authorities declared that 31 prison officers and 116 prisoners had recovered while 25 prisoners were convalescing. After having contracted COVID-19, they had tested negative and were awaiting the results of a second test.
According to DGAPR, the number of new cases of COVID-19 was decreasing slowly but steadily, as preventive measures were controlling the spread of the pandemic.

27 April. The first death of a prisoner caused by COVID-19 was registered in the local prison of Ouarzazate.

24 April. The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) announced that 1,736 people in the country’s prisons had been tested, 961 of whom were prisoners. DGAPR revealed that 270 cases, 207 of which concerned prisoners, had been recorded in Ouarzazate prison. Two civil servants at Sale prison had tested positive. Two prisoners at Oujda and Tetouan prisons, who had initially tested positive, had negative results for their second tests. They were awaiting the results of a third test.
The tests carried out in 47 prisons had come back negative. 16 prisons were still awaiting their results.

23 April. All of the inmates at the Ouarzazate Prison completed screening tests. Of the 309 tested prisoners, 133 were contaminated. The General Delegation for the Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) ensured that all the prisoners who tested positive were isolated in a special area and subjected to the “treatment protocol” which had been adopted by the authorities and health committee.

21 April. Sixty-eight people, mostly staff members and at least six prisoners, were infected in Ouarzazate prison.

19 April. The General Delegation of the Penitentiary and Reintegration Administration (DGAPR) announced that three workers of the Oudaya prison, four workers and two prisoners at the Ksar El Kébir prison, and another worker and the governor at the local Ouarzazate prison had tested positive. The DGAPR added that 137 workers were not allowed to continue to work in the prisons as a precautionary measure, and 93 were tested for coronavirus.

14 April. The prison of Ksar El Kébir announced the infection of four prison staff and one prisoner. They were transferred to the hospital for medical treatment.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

20 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) feared the coronavirus would find its way into prisons. The organisation was collaborating with prison authorities regarding prevention and readiness. It was delivering food, hygiene products and medication to the prison population. It called upon the Minister of Justice to ease overcrowding in prisons. Despite the fact no official announcements had been made, there were more releases and sentencing adjustments than usual.

Sentence adjustments¶

11 April. Prison authorities released 423 prisoners who had been incarcerated for minor offences to relieve overcrowding in the island’s prisons.

Contact with the outside world¶

13 April. The administration of Melrose Prison extended the allowable length of telephone calls and encouraged the use of video calling. It also organised prison labour to produce masks and bread. New inmates would be placed in solitary confinement for three weeks upon arrival in detention.

Acts of protest¶

19 March. The closure of courthouses to prevent the coronavirus epidemic triggered a mutiny at the Beau-Bassin prison. Several police units and helicopters were mobilized to restore order. The incident caused injury to 17 people among inmates and prison staff. One prisoner died.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

2 June. The Commission for Human Rights, Humanitarian Action and Relations with Civil Society sent several tons of food to inmates at prisons in Nouakchott.

8 May. The wali of Tiris-Zemmour, in the far north of the country, sent food to 256 prisoners.

20 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) feared the coronavirus would find its way into prisons. The organisation was collaborating with prison authorities regarding prevention and readiness. It was delivering food, hygiene products and medication to the prison population.

23 March. The Chair of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture (NPM) affirmed that preventive measures taken at prisons were adequate and effective.

Sentence adjustments¶

23 June. Local residents and journalists pointed to the early release of nearly 200 prisoners the previous month as the reason for the increase in criminal activity observed in the region of Nouakchott.

24 May. On the occasion of Eid el-Fitr, the President of the Republic pardoned 195 prisoners in order to decongest prisons.

Contact with the outside world¶

7 March. The Minister of Justice ordered that prison visits and parcel exchanges be limited “to what is necessary “. They should take place in ventilated premises where preventive measures, including physical distancing, can be respected. Visitors should also ensure that they wash their hands with soap before entering prison establishments.

Acts of protest¶

6 July. Families of Salafist inmates demonstrated in the streets of Nouakchott to obtain their release. They also complained that their family members were no longer permitted visits.

Appeals and recommendations¶

20 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called upon the Minister of Justice to ease overcrowding in prisons. Despite the fact no official announcements had been made, there were more releases and sentencing adjustments than usual.

Identified cases¶

18 June. The head of Bir Moghrein prison, at the Algerian border, tested positve for COVID-19.

Sanitary conditions sanitaires and access to healthcare¶

6 August. A travel agency and a private foundation donated 16,000 masks, 1,000 bars of soap, 500 folding beds, 250 blankets and 20.5 tons of foodstuff to prison officials.

30 June. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) donated personal hygiene kits to 2,062 inmates in 23 prisons in Cabo Delgado province.

20 June. Amnesty International condemned the ”arbitrary” detention of 16 Congolese and Ethiopian refugees at the Pemba prison, in the Cabo Delgado province. These individuals had been detained for 18 months in cells without running water or toilets, where they lacked food and were forced to sleep on the floor with a sheet of paper. The NGO deplored the fact that their rights had been violated and admitted it was worried for their lives. The Pemba prison apparently did not install any prevention measures.

31 May. Boane prison in the Maputo region ran a sewing workshop twice a week, for inmates to make protective masks from capulana, a traditional Mozambique fabric.

Sentence adjustments¶

17 December. The president of the Republic pardoned all inmates who had served at least half of their sentences and showed exemplary behaviour. The pardon also applied to elderly inmates and those who were chronically ill. About 1,800 inmates were to be released by the end of December.

9 July. The president of the Republic highlighted the measures taken by his government to relieve the congestion in prisons, with the release of 9,000 people. He believed that ”these measures [would] be useless, if the judiciary continue[d] to regard imprisonment as the priority instrument for preventing and fighting crime”.

4 June. The Minister of Justice announced that 5 000 prisoners had been pardoned since April, and the prison population had decreased from 21 000 to 16 000. Prisons had a total capacity of 8 000 prisoners. The Keeper of the Seals urged judges to continue their work and grant further releases. A project for a prison hospital, of which there were currently none in the country, was also underway at Maputo Penitentiary.

6 April. Parliament voted on an amnesty law for 5 032 prisoners sentenced for less than one year. The country’s prisons, with a capacity of 8 000 places, have more than 21 000 detainees.

27 March. The President of the Republic pardoned 25 prisoners who were seriously ill.

Contact with the outside world¶

26 March. Visits were authorised again at Cabeça do Velho prison in Manica. Health and safety measures, such as staying one metre apart and washing hands were compulsory. Relatives could no longer bring in utensils or any other items that could introduce the virus into the prison.

23 March. All visits were suspended. Relatives of detainees could still bring parcels and meals, especially to diabetic prisoners.

Acts of protest¶

22 June. The Deputy Justice Minister denied rumours of disturbances and protests in Nampula prisons. The latter were said to be motivated by food shortages. He maintained that the facilities had enough food to last several weeks and that some inmates made use of a vegetable garden. He reaffirmed the suspension of visits until further notice while the epidemic was spreading in the region.

Appeals and recommendations¶

4 April. Prison authorities and inmates were concerned about the spread of the virus in the country’s overcrowded prisons. They requested the release of people whose time in provisional detention had exceeded the legal limit.

Identified cases¶

15 June. Early reports indicated that four detainees died due to ”breathing problems” at the Machava prison in the Maputo region. Since no tests were carried out, the cause of their deaths remained unknown. At least six other prisoners were hospitalised.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

23 August. The Commissioner General of the Namibian Correctional Service expressed fear that COVID-19 will continue to spread at Windhoek prison due to the lack of space. He did however mention that sick inmates are receiving a healthier vitamin c and protein-based diet.

7 July. An inmate described to his sister by phone the detention conditions at Walvis Bay Prison, the epicentre of the pandemic in the country. According to the inmate, meals were not being regularly distributed, despite money orders from relatives. The witness said that he was forced to use washing powder to wash as soap was not available.

23 June. Inmates at Windhoek prison contacted The Namibian newspaper. They complained that there were no toiletries or sanitary products and no masks or gloves. Journalists visited the prison to observe the preventative measures. Hand-washing points were provided at the entrances to units. Visitors’ temperatures were taken routinely. Some prisoners were wearing masks. A group cell had been converted into a solitary confinement block in case the disease began to spread. The prison housed 1 105 inmates.

4 May. Prisoners at Windhoek Prison have made more than 4 500 washable masks since 28 April.

20 April. The soap workshop established in February at Windhoek prison by the United Nations Office on Crime and Drugs begun on producing hydroalcoholic gel. Several hand washing stations were installed in the prison. Isolation wards were set up in anticipation of the spread.

Judicial system¶

17 September. Several major trials were put on hold because of the spread of COVID-19 in Windhoek prison.

Sentence adjustments¶

22 May. The President of the Republic pardoned 1 023 prisoners convicted for petty offences on the occasion of the national holiday. People aged over 60 were released first, while those who had committed crimes, sexual assault, theft and break-ins under aggravating circumstances, as well as offences linked to drugs, poaching and arms smuggling, were excluded.

Contact with the outside world¶

20 June. The prison administration condemned the stigmatisation of its officers. According to the administration, taxis and shops refused to serve them. Photographs of allegedly ill officers were reportedly circulating in the community.

20 March. The government declared a state of emergency. Visits to police stations, where remand prisoners await trial, were suspended. The government called for the decongestion of police station cells. Visits to prisons, with the exception of visits by lawyers and deliveries of food parcels, were suspended.

Appeals and recommendations ¶

2 September. The doctors of a former parliamentarian who was imprisoned in Windhoek for having organised an attempted to secede from Caprivi said they fear for his live. He suffers from various serious diseases and several of their fellow prisoners have already contracted COVID-19. A spokesperson for the prison administration indicated that the law does not allow a sentence adjustment for medical reasons, but that the government is looking into the matter.

Identified cases¶

22 September. Nineteen people being held in pre-trial detention at a police station in Eenhana have tested positive for COVID-19.

17 September. One untried prisoner at the ’Oshakati police station tested positive. He had shared a cell with a dozen other inmates.

11 September. The number of prisoners who tested positive at Windhoek prison has now risen to 136. One hundred and five of them are now considered to be cured. The commissioner of prison services said that his administration takes care of the sick in accordance with WHO prescriptions.

7 September. A prisoner died at Windhoek prison, after complaining of breathing difficulties. Several other people refused to be tested before the administration addressed their concerns.

23 August. The number of inmates who have tested positive at Windhoek prison now stands at approximately 100.

19 August. Twelve inmates and one guard tested positive at the Windhoek prison.

5 July. Two persons detained in a police station in Keetmanshoop, in the southern region of Karas, tested positive.

7 July. A number of the 77 prison officers at Walvis Bay Prison either tested positive or were in preventive quarantine. The warden of the prison was also in quarantine at home. He refused to reveal to the press the number of prisoners in quarantine without consulting his superiors. The number of infected guards and prisoners was unknown.

1 July. An inmate at Walvis Bay Prison suffering from high fevers was reportedly evacuated by a medical team to a health facility. His transfer was said to have caused panic among the prisoners.

17 June. Two prison guards from Walvis Bay prison tested positive. Eighteen of their colleagues were screened.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

Members of Prisonniers sans frontières (PRSF, Prisoners without Borders) ensured that the hand washing stations were functioning properly in Niamey prison.

Judicial system¶

20 March. The Justice Ministry suspended all public court hearings for at least five days. Police custody was limited to cases of “extreme necessity” (criminal infractions, terrorism, public disturbance). Prison visitation rights were also suspended for three months. Legal counsel and packages for prisoners are still allowed. The Minister finally announced the implementation of sanitary and safety measures at the entrance to establishments, as well as measures to address suspected infections among inmates.

Sentence adjustments¶

27 March. The president of the Republic announced a sentence remission for 1 540 prisoners, as part of the state of emergency plan. Priority had to be given to prisoners who are elderly, ill, or serving a sentence of less than nine months.

Contact with the outside world¶

11 May. The Minister of Justice allowed prison visits to resume for the partners and parents of prisoners. The courts would also be operating as normal.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

20 August. Prison Rehabilitation Welfare Action (PRAWA) and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) donated 50,000 masks, 1,000 plexiglass face shields, sanitisers, handwashing stations, computers and mobile phones to the prison administration.
Prison officials at the Yola prison, in Adamawa state, refused to admit a person sentenced to prison who had not been tested.

24 July. Psychiatrists commented in an article for the journal Forensic Science International: Mind and Law on the impact of COVID-19 in the treatment of sick prisoners. If the proposed care was already particularly limited, despite the recent efforts on the part of the administration, the epidemic and the quarantine in the establishments have made it impossible to visit additional doctors in external establishments. The psychiatric team was therefore often limited to one specialist nurse. Continuity of care for pardoned prisoners could also not be guaranteed.

21 June. The prison authorities in Niger disinfected Bida Medium Correctional Facility, the day after an similar operation at Minna Medium Correctional Facility. A disinfection exercise at the Kontagora prison was scheduled for 22 June.

14 May. The association of prison warden wives (NICOWA) donated masks, hydroalcoholic gel, water and soap containers to prisoners at the Katsina central prison.

8 May. The United Nations and the European Union sent protective equipment (masks and gloves), infrared thermometers and hydroalcoholic gel to prisons.

3 May. The Foundation for Almajiris, Fulani, Prisoners and Elders (FAPA) donated a handwashing station as well as sanitary and hygienic products to the Sokoto central prison.

20 April. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) prepared an information document on coronavirus prevention practices in detention. The document was distributed to all penitentiary establishments in the country in English, Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo.

Judicial system¶

23 September. The Comptroller General of the Prison Administration blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for the delay in implementing reforms voted for in 2019: “As I speak, we are still waiting to receive the necessary budget for the application of the law.”

20 August. The federal government authorised the admission of new inmates in most of the States. There were almost 10,000 new arrivals over a few days in the prisons concerned.

19 May. In Olokuta prison (State of Ondo), three quarters of inmates were awaiting trial. All hearings were suspended. The courts were awaiting the digital tools needed to resume their activities. Lawyers stated that they regretted the interruption of services and warned of the challenges posed by the use of technology in the provision of justice services.

7 May. A prisoner was sentenced to death in a judgment rendered via videoconference. Human Rights Watch called this practice “cruel and inhuman”. The judgment is the first of its kind to be delivered by videoconference in the country.

Sentence adjustments¶

5 November. The president set up a committee, the Presidential Committee for the Decongestion of the Correctional Centres, to address the resurging pandemic. Inmates who have been in prison for six years or more should be released conditionally and unconditionally. Older inmates, those who are terminally ill, low-risk offenders, and those who have no sufficient legal basis to remain incarcerated will be discharged. Of the 74,127 inmates in custody in the country, 52,226 were pre-trial inmates.

30  September. The Minister of Justice announced an upcoming sentence adjustment campaign. The campaign will reportedly focus on minors in custody.

17 August. Several legal associations and NGOs (Seniors Advocates of Nigeria, Hope behind Bars, Nigerian Bar Association)graciously offered their services in an effort to reduce prison congestion.

7 July. The federal government announced it had released 7 813 prisoners since the beginning of the pandemic.

30 June. The Chief Judge of Lagos authorised the release of 18 inmates from Kirikiri prison.

23 June. The Delta State authorities released 152 prisoners awaiting trial from the Sapele, Kwale and Agor prisons.

4 June. The Ministry of Justice said that 6,590 prisoners had been released and gave instructions to limit new admissions. It announced a decentralised movement aiming to place many prisons under the management of various states.

4 June. The Minister of Justice reported that 6,590 prisoners had been released and there were instructions to limit the number of new admissions. He also announced the planned decentralisation of many prisons, to be placed under the control of individual states.

15 May. The highestranking judge in the country ordered State courts to expedite the release of prisoners. Prisoners sentenced or prosecuted for “minor” crimes, those who had almost completed their sentences and old or ill prisoners were to be released first. He also urged them to consider those held in provisional detention for over six years and limit the number of new admissions.

5 May. The Borno State Governor released 93 prisoners from the prisons of Maiduguri (90) and Biu (3).
The governor of Imo state authorized the release of 51 prisoners.

3 May. The government of the State of Niger authorized the release of 165 prisoners. They were released from the prisons of Old Minna (48), New (36), Kontagora (23), Bida (20), New Bussa (17), Lapai (12), Kagara (5) and Agaie (4). Almost half of the detained were pending trial.

1 May. The state government of Kwara released 147 prisoners in advance or conditionally. Most of were released from the prisons of Old Ilorin (46) and New Ilorin (74).

29 April. The Governor of the State of Awka-Ibom authorized the release of 68 prisoners. They were released from the prisons of Uyo (22), Ikot Ekpene (17), Eket (17) and Ikot Abasi (12).

25 April. The governor of the state of Bauchi released 69 prisoners detained in different penal facilities.

24 April. The governor of the state of Edo authorized the release of 173 prisoners, who were given the basic needs. They were released from the prisons of Old Benin (108), Oko (48), Ubiaja (12) and Auchi (5).
A judge from the state of Katsina granted the early release of 25 prisoners and conditionally released 401 others detained in various institutions.
A judge from the state of Rivers released 62 prisoners. The last ones were released from Degema, Ahoada and Port Harcourt facilities and received enough pay for their journey home.

23 April. The federal and state governments of Kebbi released 188 prisoners. The last ones left the prisons of Birnin Kebbi (82), Zuru (40), Argungu (37), Yauri (24), Warra (2), Bagudo (2) and Kamba (1).
A judge ordered the release of 150 prisoners in the Delta state. They left the prisons of Warri (49), Agbor (46), Ogwashi-uku (27), Kwale (25) and Sapele (3 ).

20 April. The Governor of the State of Anambra authorized the release of 155 prisoners, including 101 detainees awaiting trial. They were released from the prisons of Onitsha (74), Nnewi (30), Awka (40) and Aguata (11).

12 April. The states of Kwara and Ekiti announced the forthcoming release of vulnerable detainees, nursing mothers and prisoners considered non-dangerous. Their exact number remained unknown. These adjustments concerned the prisons of Ado-Ekiti, Ilorin, Mandalla, Omuaran and Lafiagi.

9 April. The President of the Republic announced the amnesty of 2 600 prisoners in order to vacant the country’s prisons. This measure mainly concerned ill or elderly prisoners and those with only six more months to serve.
The Minister of Justice announced the upcoming inauguration of two prisons, with a capacity of 3 000 places each, in Abuja and Janguza.

Acts of protest¶

29 October. The mass arrest of 200 young Nigerians threatened the government’s policy to relieve prison congestion. The youth had looted several warehouses looking for COVID-19 palliative kits which were stored there by the government. This mass remand presented a serious risk of re-starting the pandemic in prisons. The director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC) objected to this arrest and called on government: ”Given the COVID-19 health implications, we advocated that the government must ensure speedy trial and those who have been there for several years without trial with less offences should be able to go or engage them in community service”. Other reactions followed and were critical of this arrest. According to the Minister of Justice, about 3,751 former inmates had been released since the pandemic started. Some reports indicated that only one female of 2,600 inmates had been released.

22 October. The prisoners at Ikoyi Prison in Lagos intended to take advantage of the EndSARS movement and curfew to escape. The prison administration stopped the escape attempt.

16 May. Guards at Aba prison, in the State of Abia, killed one prisoner and gravely injured others who were trying to escape.

3 April. Eight inmates were killed following the protest at Kaduna Prison. They were shot by the guards or beaten. The prison administration downplayed facts and described the issue as “an internal problem between staff and inmates”.

31 March. People held in the Kaduna prison protested visit suspension and parcel delivery. They called for their release and the necessary “prison decongestion” by the government. Two warders were injured. Soldiers intervened to restore order. Amnesty International Nigeria claimed that two prisoners died: one shot during the incident and the other from a beating by the warders. The penal administration is denying any death.

Appeals and recommendations¶

17 September. The governor of the State of Bauchi called on the federal government to improve medical care for inmates.

25 July. The Hospital and Prison Welfare Initiative (HPIW) called on the federal government and governors to release all incarcerated minors and ill remand prisoners.

10 July. A university professor recommended that prisoners should not be released without being properly prepared, namely for employment, particularly in this time of general insecurity. Inmates in congested facilities could be transferred to other less crowded ones, such as the Hadejia prison in the State of Jigawa.

19 June. The Chief Judge of Ogun State had been working towards the decongestion of prisons. According to the judge, defendants should not spend more time detained in prison custody than allowed by the law.

28 April. Lawyers Alert admonished the federal government if the government did not expedite early release measures. Some states did not “release enough” prisoners, such as Osun (34 released prisoners), Ebonyi (33) and Zamfara (18). The organisation “[was] concerned that the laudable decision to decongest the prisons in front of the Covid-19 is gradually losing its meaning and [was now responding] first to political considerations“.

2 April. Amnesty International Nigeria urged the government to guarantee the protection of prisoners. The NGO was alarmed by the prison overcrowding, reaching 440% in Port Harcourt prison, and more than 200% in Enugu, Kaduna and Kirikiri prisons. It demanded to release ill and elderly prisoners.

26 March. The Interior Minister called for a “massive decongestion of the country’s prisons” to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. State governors were to visit establishments in order to identify detainees eligible for release. Prisoners in provisional detention, who make up 70% of the country’s incarcerated population, are considered a priority.

Identified cases¶

13 June. The regional health authorities confirmed that 17 prisoners had tested positive for the virus at Bauchi prison. A solitary confinement block had been set up in the facility.

11 June. The Prison Inmate Development Initiative (PIDI – Nigeria) and the Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR) told journalists that about ten detainees at the Bauchi prison had been reported to be contaminated.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

14 September. The inmates and the staff of Amuru prison were provided with masks. The supervisors received training against COVID 19. The WHO intervened for more than three weeks, after 153 prisoners tested positive on 22 August. The organization helped prisoners to become aware of the behaviour that needed to be adopted. They also provided technical, logistical and moral support to agents, prisoners and their families.

8 September. Following the testimony of a member of the parliament who was in pre-trial detention at Kitalya prison (one of the penal institutions still accepting new arrivals), the Commissioner General of Prisons ordered an investigation into the treatment of inmates. The MP reported that most of the prisoners are prosecuted for minor offences with many still awaiting trial and denied freedom.

This year, this prison’s occupation rate increased from 306.9% to 319.2%

1 August. Authorities transferred 300 inmates from Kitgum prison to Orom and Luturu prisons. A temporary isolation center would be established there to receive all prisoners arriving from the Acholi.

1 July. Funds from the United Nations and the European Union enabled the prison service to provide 160 hand-washing points, 3 750 bars of soap and 40 beds.

10 June. Busesa prison reopened to serve as an isolation and observation centre for new inmates from all over the Eastern part of the country. After a quarantine period of 14 days, new inmates would be transferred to other prisons in the region.

Kitalya prison alone housed more than 3 000 people arrested for violating the state of emergency.

11 May. The prison administration set up isolation wards, including for persons arriving on remand, in Kitalya, Bushenyi, Nwoya and Soroti prisons. More than 3 000 people were incarcerated since the beginning of the lockdown for violating the rules of the state of emergency.

Judicial system¶

17 September. The number of inmates increased by 10% since March because of the lack of respect for health regulations.

7 August. The number of prisoners increased by 10 %, from 59,000 to 65,000, since March. The prisons had then a capacity of 20,000 places. Many of the people were arrested for infringing the health emergency rules. The prisoners were not able to be tried, nor leave prison at the end of their sentence, because of the measures in place to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

5 July. Trials of juvenile defendants were being held in detention, in order to limit movement. Seven facilities across the country were involved. The first trials took place in Naguru prison.

21 June. The Kampala High Court ordered the prison administration to pay 5 million Ugandan shillings to 19 LGBT people. Arrested on 29 March for violating the state of emergency, they were deprived of access to lawyers for more than 40 days.

13 May. A Court of Justice authorized the lawyers of 19 homosexual and transgender prisoners arrested on 29 March to visit them. Their trial would be scheduled for 18 May.

29 March. The police arrested 23 people living at an LGBT homeless shelter. They were accused of violating the ban on public gatherings. 19 were sent to prison pending their hearing. Their lawyers stated that they had been prevented from communicating with them.

19 March. The president of the Supreme Court issued a circular to its services which specified the measures that need to be taken with regard to the epidemic spread. It instructs the suspension of all auditions and of the majority of judicial activities of the country for a duration of 32 days.

Sentence adjustments¶

8 June. Following the speech pronounced by the President of the Republic one week prior, prison authorities were preparing to release some 4 000 people incarcerated for breaking the rules of the state of emergency.

11 May. The prison administration was considering releasing 400 persons detained for offences related to unpaid debts. The administration was seeking to save the cost of housing these prisoners. The law requires that plaintiffs pay for the daily meals of these persons, however this requirement is rarely applied.

4 May. A presidential pardon and diplomatic agreements led to the release of 74 Congolese fishermen from Lake Edward. The fishermen were released from the Uganda’s Katwe and Mubuku prisons but were not able to return to the Democratic Republic of Congo due to the closure of the borders. More than 400 Congolese fishermen were arrested during Ugandan patrols on the border lake in 2018 and 2019. About 100 of them were sentenced to prison terms of between six months and three years.

28 April. The President of the Republic pardoned 833 persons at the end of their sentence and sentenced to less than two years in prison, on the basis of the list proposed by the prison administration. They came from 259 different facilities spread over the entire territory. 180 Rwandan prisoners were pardoned by the President and left Uganda’s prisons.

6 April. The directorate of prison services recommended the release of 2 000 prisoners who had served three quarters of their sentence and had been convicted of so-called minor offenses. Pregnant women or mothers of infants, as well as people over the age of 65, would have priority. Visits were suspended. Incoming detainees would be placed in a separate area. Personnel in contact with prisoners were prohibited from leaving institutions or having contact with their relatives.

27 March. Coalitions of NGOs (including Lawyers without borders, Chapter four and the Muslim center for justice and law) urged the judiciary and the police to take more preventive measures in prisons and custody suites. They warned against the tensions and risks of increased uprising by the fear of the epidemic and new restrictions. The coalition recommended, to reduce the existing overpopulation (215%), to release ill and elderly prisoners, and those detained for minor crimes or who are at the end of their sentence. It demanded the authorities to facilitate parole and to end various preventive detentions and police arrests. The recommended measures included the sterilization of the prison premises and the alternative methods of communication between the prisoners, their lawyers and relatives.

Contact with the outside world¶

1 July. Funds from the United Nations of the European Union enabled the prison service to provide 32 mobile phones to prisoners. Video conference equipment was also installed in the prisons in Gulu, Arua, Mbale, Jinja and Mbarara.

29 April. The Commissioner of Prisons stated that arrested or detained persons could communicate with their lawyers only via Zoom videoconference interviews.

Acts of protest¶

17 September. Two hundred and nineteen armed inmates escaped from Karamoja prison. Two were killed by security forces; two others were captured. This was the third prison escape since March.

5 July. Eleven inmates escaped from the quarantine ward of Bukwo Prison. They took then reportedly refuge in Kenya.

21 March. Arua prison guards shoot several prisoners who attempted to escape. Following the incident, police found over 30 abandoned uniforms near the facility while the administration managed to track down seven escaped prisoners. When interrogated about their motives, the latter expressed their fear of the spread of coronavirus in prison.

Appeals and recommendations¶

24 August. The Commissioner General of prisons called on the government and the judicial authorities to release more inmates and to send to prison only the most dangerous offenders.

27 April. United Nations experts feared that the government was using measures to combat the epidemic to further crack down on sexual minorities.

24 April. The EU Ambassador urged the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to adapt the country’s judicial system in such a way as to guarantee the rights of arrested and detained persons, particularly by authorising visits from lawyers.

Identified cases¶

12 October. Infections increased in all the country’s prisons. There have been 826 cases, 239 of whom were being treated. Kauga and Kasangati prisons are being used as isolation centres.

11 September. Thirty prisoners at Moroto Prison tested positive and moved to the Jinja isolation center. Prison authorities placed more than 200 other prisoners in quarantine and refused new entries.

9 September. At Kitgum prison, 76 inmates tested positive. The chairman of the COVID-19 working group of the district mentioned he is taking measures that also concern the prison staff.

23 August. A testing campaign detected 153 positive cases among the 205 inmates of the Amuruprison. One guard was also positive. The prison was put on a 28-days lockdown.

1 August. A second inmate tested positive at Pece prison. Both infected prisoners were transferred to an outside health facility.

29 July. An inmate tested positive at Pece Prison. The entire facility was confined for 14 days. Guard movements and prisoner transfers were suspended.

10 June. Prison authorities announced that they had identified a first positive case among inmates of Kayiti prison. The prison was placed under emergency lockdown: discharges and admissions were suspended, and prison staff was no longer permitted to leave the prison.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

29 December. Bunia prison has made improvements. Overcrowding and the lack of essential supplies persist. The prison currently accommodates 1,554 inmates in 500 places. MONUSCO provides food, water and health care on a regular basis.

29 November. The MONUSCO medical team distributed medicines and treated 122 Bunia prison inmates free of charge. These prisoners live in poor conditions and do not normally have access to medical care. Almost 50 prisoners have died since January. The prison authorities are requesting more funding.

27 October. The government gave COVID-19 prevention kits to Kananga prison. The programme is funded partly by the UNDP and is intended to meet the needs of the prison population for the short and long terms. The contribution ensures that inmates will be protected from COVID-19, as well as from tuberculosis and HIV.

30  September. The UNJHRO  (United Nations Joint Human Rights Office compiled a report of human rights violations in August. It indicated 16 deaths due to illness or malnutrition. Detention conditions and the lack of financial resources were cited as the main causes. 

21  September. More than 600 Kananga prison inmates were treated to a hot meal made by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. 

18 September. Kakwangura prison has difficulty treating ill inmates. In addition to inmates resisting treatment, there has been a shortage of food, quarantine and treatment kits. The town’s mayor called on the Congolese government to increase funding.

15 September. Fifty two inmates at Bunia prison, starved to death due to overcrowding and lack of funding. Food rations are generally based on the official capacity of a prison. This prison was filled to as much as 500 % its capacity. Since January, every prison in the country has been buying food and essential supplies on credit. The president decided to cover three months of expenditures at Bunia prison.

14 September. The MONUSCO intervened at the prison of Bunia to make up for the lack of food and deliver medicines. Between mid-August and 10 September, seven prisoners died of hunger. Following a videoconference with Kinshasa, the facility finally received part of the funding that had been suspended since February. At the same time, the authorities were releasing activities and sources of income for the prisoners. Finally, prisoners now have access to a three-hectare site, which will serve as an agricultural farm for their own consumption.

13 September. The living conditions of prisoners nationwide are concerning; journalists have stated the lack of food and medicine; the authorities have cut all subsidies for several months, and prisons are going into debt. No representative has set foot there for more than nine months. Makala prison accommodates 8043 prisoners for 1500 places. The prisoners have no trial date and no training. In some prisons, they are forced to beg.

4 September. Inmates at Bunia (Ituri) prison have only been receiving a cup of porridge every three days since the beginning of the year. The head of the prison asked the government to provide funding for food. Among 1,300 prisoners, 500 suffer from malnutrition and two died recently from hunger. The prison had a diarrhoea epidemic in 2018 which resulted in 11 deaths.

23 August. The WHO donated, to the Goma prison (North-Kivu), 50 mattresses, several hundred disposable and washable gloves, some one hundred personal protective kits, bleach, and sanitisers.

19 August. Two prisoners died of hunger at the Kenge prison, in the province of Kwango. The head of the prison said that the government did not provide funding for feeding the 115 inmates. Inmates must depend on the generosity of people and organisations on the outside.

2 August. On the occasion of Tabaski (Eid al-Adha), the Muslim community donated food and cutlery to Inongo prison in the province of Maï-Ndombe.

22 July. The warden of Inongo prison in Maï-Ndombe province claimed that it had not received any government funding since January. The prison no longer had a food ration. There were no measures in place to prevent the outbreak of COVID-19.

6 July. The organisation L’Action universelle pour la défense des droits de l’homme (AUDH) distributed 800 reusable masks and 50 hand-washing stations at Kasapa prison in Lubumbashi in the province of Upper Katanga. The facility housed approximately 2 500 inmates.

27 June. The United Nations donated 1 600 reusable masks, two thermometers, educational materials and a megaphone to Matadi prison.

23 June. At the airport at the last minute, the prison authorities cancelled, the transfer of 24 inmates from Kindu prison in the Maniema province to Buluwo prison at Lubumbashi. They said that in the end they refused to send healthy people to a zone where the COVID-19 epidemic was raging.

18 June. The Minister of Justice stated he was considering having all of the inmates at Kinshasa prison travel to the Stade des Martyrs, where an Israeli NGO had set up a large testing centre.

19 June. The WHO strengthened measures for prevention as well as the handling of suspected cases in Makala prison. The organisation installed 50 additional beds, hand-washing stations, and latrines. They also provided soap, chlorine and drinking water.

11 June. The United Nations informed women and underage inmates at the Bunia prison about prevention measures for COVID-19 and HIV-AIDS.

9 June. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and the WHO set up sanitary quarantine tents and hygiene kits in the prison courtyard of Matadi, in Kongo Central. The prison, built for 150 people, held then 800 prisoners.

20 May. The Tshela Brotherhood of Prisons indicated that there were cases of pneumonia at Tshela prison. Four prisoners had died of hunger and a lack of medical attention in the previous week. The prison did not have any healthcare equipment and the 93 prisoners slept on the floor. The authorities said that they had not received the funds necessary for its operation for several months.

19 May. The World Health Organization (WHO) set up two tents to quarantine sick detainees in the Makala prison courtyard.

17 May. The United Nations initiated an awareness campaign on preventive measures at Kakwangura prison in North Kivu. They would also provide food.

14 May. Doctors Without Borders (MSF)donated 4 000 masks to the prison administration in Ndolo.

11 May. The United Nations delivered about 20 bags of cassava and maize flour and 20 kg of salt to Kananga prison in Kasaï-Central. The UN mission installed containers in the prison compound to serve as isolation quarters in case of virus spread.

9 May. The UN mission MONUSCO organised a prevention campaign at Buniaprison in Ituri. Staff and inmates were trained in risk detection and prevention. The prison had 1 354 inmates at the time, and a capacity of 220 places.

4 May. The United Nations organised a prevention campaign at Munzenze prison in Goma. The campaign centred on training and awareness-raising activities and the introduction of prevention and protection measures. An isolation room was set up for new arrivals. The UN mission donated several boxes of sanitary pads for female prisoners and diapers for their infants.

30 April. The government decided to have the prisons of Ndolo and Makala disinfected. Prisoners would be moved to the courtyard while operations were underway.

13 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) donated 16 hand-washing stations, 1 200 pairs of gloves, 1 000 masks, seven thermometers, protective clothing and soap to Makala prison in Kinshasa.

Sentence adjustments¶

14 August. Corrections Services released 73 inmates from the Kalemie prison, in the province of Tanganyika. These inmates received a presidential pardon.

4 August. Seventeen prisoners benefitted from a presidential amnesty decree and were released from Mbandaka prison in the province of Equateur.

3 August Eighty prisoners were released early, by presidential decree, from Kindu prison in Maniema province.

24 July. The authorities released 48 prisoners early from the prison of Kakwangura in North Kivu, including a woman convicted of having an abortion. Twelve of the prisoners were released by the military justice system.

22 July. A presidential decree of 30 June would permit the release of 79 people from Kangbayi prison in Beni in North Kivu.
One hundred twenty-nine inmates, including nine women, were released from Bunia prison in Ituri.

18 July. The United Nations facilitated mobile court hearings (outside the court of law, editor’s note) at Tshikapa prison in West Kasai, in order to relieve the prison’s overcrowding.

30 June. The President of the Republic signed a pardoning order on the day of the national holiday to allow several thousands of prisoners to be released. All those prisoners serving a sentence of less than five years could be released immediately. Prisoners serving sentences longer than five years could have their sentence reduced by five years. Prisoners facing a death sentence had their sentence commuted to life imprisonment[^serv]. Life imprisonment sentences were commuted to a 20 year sentence. [^serv]: Serving a prison sentence can involve carrying out work. People convicted for crimes against humanity, against the State security, or for sexual violence, embezzlement of public funds, corruption, murder, armed robbery, criminal organisations and the possession of war weapons were excluded from this measure. Prisoners on the run were also excluded. This measure did not apply to the many prisoners awaiting trial.

5 June. Judicial authorities pronounced that 40 children from Mbuji-Mayi central prison in Eastern Kasaï would be released on parole as part of preventive measures.

14 May. The releases promised by the government were slow in clearing the prisons of Kinshasa while the Deputy Prime Minister considered it necessary to release 2 000 people in Makala and 500 in Ndolo. Prosecutors claimed to scrupulously study the files of eligible prisoners. Human rights defenders, however, pointed to the presence of many people without a criminal record in detention, locked up by the requests of officials and high-ranking officers from the army and the police.

13 May. Beni court granted its first early releases to inmates in Kangbayi prison in North Kivu. The prison, which had the capacity for 250 prisoners, housed 1 378.

6 May. Local authorities released 14 prisoners from Mulunge prison in South Kivu. The establishment, with an initial capacity of 150 places, housed nearly a thousand prisoners.

4 May. The military authorities of the provinces of Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, Ituri and Tshopo temporarily released 60 soldiers, police and civilians. The latter were prosecuted for so-called minor crimes. These releases concern the prisons of Kisangani (23), Bunia (20), Mambasa (6), Watsa (5), Buta (3) , Isiro (2) and Dungu (1).
The government prepared an urgent new measure for decongestion in penitentiary establishments.

2 May. The Deputy Prime Minister announced the upcoming release of prisoners incarcerated in Ndolo prison. Other prisoners would be transferred to different prisons.

2 April. The general prosecutor of the Kasaï central court of appeal authorised the release of 22 prisoners from the Kananga prison.

8 April. One thousand two hundred prisoners, including more than 700 incarcerated in Makala prison, were released. The Minister of Justice is planning more releases in the future. Judges are now instructed to only use incarceration on an exceptional basis.

Acts of protest¶

25  September. Katanga’s Military Intelligence Department warned of an escape attempt from Kasapa prison which resulted in six serious injuries and extensive property damage.

14 September. Two inmates at Kakwangura prison refused to be treated for COVID-19 as a way of protesting the lack of food.

13 August Two inmates escaped from the Mbandaka prison, three days after a mass escape from the Lisala prison, in the province of the Equator. Observers denounced the physical condition of the prisons, poor detention conditions and the lack of medical care, and said they were possible causes for the escapes.

8 June. Health care and prison staff at Bukavu prison in Sud Kivu organised a sit-in to alert the governor of the region on stock shortage. They urgently requested essential medicines and protective equipment. They were concerned that emergency food aid from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations would soon come to an end.

3 May. About twenty prisoners escaped from Watsa prison at Haut-Uele. The conditions of detention, the lack of food and the lack of care were, according to the head of the establishment, the reasons behind this escape.

Judicial system¶

11 July. The Justice and Vice-Premier Minister resigned. The FBCP and the Mouvement des indignés de la situation sécuritaire (MISS) welcomed this announcement, saying that the Minister’s response to this crisis had been inadequate.

Appeals and recommendations¶

31 December. The Urban Youth Council denounced the malnutrition and food shortage in Kangbayi prison. They called on the government to react: “Prisons are not garbage sites, prisons are not for discarding people. Prisoners have basic rights that need to be protected.” Poor sanitation and food shortage have caused many deaths in that facility.

19 October. Human rights NGOs denounced the malnutrition in the country’s prisons. Inmates are suffering from food shortages and poor-quality meals.

6  October. Parliamentarian Prince Kihangi deplored the living conditions in Walikale prison. He reported on the lack of food, poor sanitary conditions and the delays and complications in the justice system. Inmates survive because of their families. The parliamentarian called on the Minister in charge to act.

25  September A parliamentarian was alarmed  by Kangbayi prison conditions. He called on the authorities to address the problems of overcrowding, the lack of food and medication: “Kangbwayi has become a death chamber. Living conditions for the inmates are not at all good”. 

8 September. The BCPF reported on the serious concerns of inmates at Kinshasa prison, who object to being denied Mass and visitors. The inmates say they are ready to act to defend their rights.

7 September. The BCPF announced their concern regarding prison conditions and is not convinced that the government has the capacity to resolve the issue.

26 August. The FBCP denounced the behaviour of certain inmates who benefit from special treatment. Senior government officials and political party leaders have allegedly been claiming to be ill and unable to be held in detention in order to be placed in outside health facilities.

19 July. The organisation Outre Neuve denounced conditions in the country’s prisons, particularly during the COVID-19 outbreak. The organisation hoped that the work of prison officers would be valued and that the administration would have more resources at its disposal.

27 June. The Bill Clinton Foundation for Peace (BCFP) pressured the government to speed up the release of prisoners. The foundation hoped that mass amnesties would be announced on the National Day of 30 June. It appealed to the African Union, the United Nations, Western countries and NGOs to ensure that the government would better guarantee the rights of prisoners and improve their conditions of detention.

26 May. The Bill Clinton foundation for peace (FBCP) raised concerns about the high number of people imprisoned inside police stations (including in Lufungula) and Kinshasa prosecution jails. There are 150 prisoners in the Gombe prosecution jail, and over 130 in the Kalamu jail. Maximum temporary detention times have long been reached for many of them. The organization is concerned that these overpopulated prisons will facilitate the spread of the pandemic.

17 May. Prisoners in sections 1 to 11 of Makala prison launched a cry for help by addressing a letter to the President of the Republic. In the letter, they requested pardons; conditional releases; the release of minors, the elderly and sick; and the release of 222 prisoners suffering from tuberculosis.

14 May. The Bill Clinton Peace Foundation (BCPF) decried the conditions at Cinquantenaire prison in the province of Kwilu, where approximately 50 prisoners were recently transferred. The prison was suffering from a serious lack of resources and two prisoners were said to have died of malnutrition in March. The Foundation expressed its fears that the transferred prisoners, originally incarcerated in Kinshasa, would no longer be able to receive food parcels due to their remoteness.

11 May. A deputy denounced the transfer of 40 prisoners from Ndolo prison towards Kwilu province.

1 May. The NGO Justicia ASBL dreaded ”slaughter” in the country’s prisons. The organization called on the authorities to speed up the releases of those prosecuted for minor crimes.

17 April. Human Rights Watch highlighted the threat that the epidemic is posing to detainees and called for further measures to address it. It is estimated that 71 percent of detainees are awaiting trial or have not been convicted of any crime. Some pretrial detainees were recently released, but those newly arrested for nonviolent or minor offenses should not be detained. Prisons are overpopulated: Muzenze prison is at over 600 percent capacity. At least 60 inmates died of hunger between January and February in Makala prison, and at least four between 9 and 13 April in Matadi jail.

26 March. The President of the Bar Association of Kasaï Oriental alerted the State Attorney General about the risks involved in the Mbuji-Mayi central prison. He demanded the release of prisoner detained for minor crimes, the initiation of conditional release procedures and the evasion of preventive detention. The prison is still marked by the tuberculosis epidemic of 2015.

19 March. The Clinton Foundation for peace (BCFP) expressed its concern after the president was addressed on 18 March regarding the feasibility and results of preventive measures in prison. Many prisoners depend on the packages and meals brought to them by loved ones and local associations, but delivery is now widely compromised.

Identified cases¶

16 December. Six inmates in Muzenze prison passed away, within two weeks, due to the lack of food and poor sanitary conditions.

1 September. Two prisoners tested positive at Kakwangura prison in Butembo (North-Kivu).

9 July. Eight Muzenze prison inmates in Goma tested positive. The governor of North-Kivu confirmed that they were quarantined within the prison.

27 June. Six inmates in Matadi prison tested positive for the coronavirus.

17 June. The acting director of Matadi prison has reportedly died of COVID-19.

9 June. A detainee from the Matadi prison, in Kongo Central, tested positive to COVID-19. About a hundred other tests were sent to the national biomedical research institute (INRB) in Kinshasa to be analysed. The results were not known immediately. One prisoner was reported to have died from respiratory problems three days prior.

8 May. The number of prisoners tested positive at Ndolo prison rose to 145 cases. Three prisoners have been transferred to outside health facilities.

4 May. The number of prisoners who tested positive in Ndolo military prison rose to 99. The prison had the capacity for 500 prisoners, but housed nearly 2 000.

29 April. Four prisoners tested positive at the Ndolo military prison in Kinshasa. Some 35 other prisoners showed symptoms characteristic of COVID-19.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

29 August. The NGO, Seni na Maïngo conducted an awareness campaign on preventive measures for COVID-19, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS at Ngaragba prison in Bangui. The NGO had already conducted a campaign at Camp de Roux prison and Bimbo prison for women. They are supported by WHO.

12 June. The United Nations gave the administration of Ngaraga prison a substantial donation of hand washing stations, masks, gloves, soap and hydroalcoholic gel.

Sentence adjustments¶

5 May. Authorities released 70 people detained in the Bouar prison. An examining magistrate in charge of sentence adjustment expressed concern that visits from relatives might allow the virus to penetrate the prison.

25 April. A presidential decree authorised the early release of some prisoners. Persons convicted of minor offences, youth, pregnant women and mothers of infants, prisoners over 60 years of age, and persons suffering from serious and contagious diseases would be eligible for early release. Persons accused or convicted of house burning, murder, child rape, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide were excluded from this measure.

Acts of protest¶

28 March. Sources reported that prisoners in the Ngaraga prison in Bangui had started a hunger strike. They were asking for early releases to be granted to alleviate the high prisoner density and prevent the virus from spreading.

Identified cases¶

31 August. A testing campaign held on 11 August identified at least four infected inmates at Ngaragba prison, according to medical sources. Two of them escaped while being transferred to an external health facility.
This prison also had six inmates with tuberculosis. Its population has decreased from 1,215 to 753 inmates since April.

21 May. Journalists have reported the deaths of two prisoners in the Ngaraga prison as being due to COVID-19. Authorities refuse to confirm the causes of death. They claimed to be awaiting test results and said that one prisoner was suffering from tuberculosis.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

9 March. A vaccination campaign was organised at ** Kigali ** prison, where more than 2,077 people are held. Priority has been given to people who are chronically ill and/or those over 60. A member of the prison administration explained: * “Social distancing is not easy in prison. The vaccine is a good step towards prevention, and hopefully it will be given to all prisoners in the future”*. ** Nyarugenge ** prison accommodates about 10,000 prisoners. Just over 20% of incarcerated people have already received the vaccine. The campaign is expected to be extended to other prisons as more vaccines become available.

19 November. Officials implemented a series of measures to address the pandemic in prisons. Older inmates have been separated from the others. Separate units were set aside in Rwamagana, Muhanga and Nyarugenge prisons for inmates testing positive for COVID-19. The transfer of inmates and personnel from these facilities has been banned. New arrivals to prisons that are free of COVID-19 must go into quarantine for 14 days. Inmates about to be discharged and outside suppliers must be tested.

10 November. Thirteen inmates at Nsinda prison tested positive. The Minister of Health announced the suspension of visits and mass screening for inmates

23 September. Inmates at Mageragere prison were filmed with masks, which they remove during classes and workshops. They claimed to wash their hands regularly.

30 August. The Catholic Church appealed for humanitarian aid and solidarity to feed thousands of inmates, especially at Gicumbi prison. The prisoners preventive shelter has deprived them from the meals prepared and brought by their relatives.
The director of the prison is said to have sought the help of the religious institution. He was arrested and interrogated on September 27 by security services.

12 August. After obtaining special government funding, Correctional Services issued a call for tender to acquire sanitizers and hygiene items for 13 prisons.

Judicial system¶

9 April. Some judicial hearings would be conducted by videoconference. They would primarily concern people in pre-trial detention or requesting an adjustment of their sentence in order to relieve congestion in penal establishments.

Sentence adjustments¶

20 May. The authorities granted 3 596 convicts a conditional release. They were chosen among prisoners who had committed petty crimes and those whose attitudes in prison were deemed exemplary. The President also pardoned 50 women convicted for having abortions.

27 April. Judicial authorities temporarily released 1 673 detainees from police stations throughout the country. More releases were planned to ease overcrowding in prisons.

1 April. The Prosecutor General announced the upcoming release of prisoners. Women incarcerated with their babies and teenagers would be the first to be released. Those charged with murder, human trafficking, corruption and the use and distribution of drugs, as well as repeat offenders, did not qualify.

Contact with the outside world¶

2  October. Family visits remained suspended until further notice.

4 May. Prison authorities set up telephone numbers so that prisoners’ relatives could transfer money to them to buy products. The goods available for consumption were pieces of fruit, juice, bread and personal hygiene products.

14 March. Rwanda prison services suspended prison visits until further notice. Telephones were made available for detainees to facilitate communication. Incoming detainees would be held in solitary confinement for two weeks.

Appeals and recommendations ¶

2  October. The Catholic parish in the diocese of Byumba called on charities to address food shortages in the country’s prisons. This warning led to the arrest of the Chief Superintendent of Gicumbi prison. Reports from the Correctional Service show that the government spends about two dollars a day to feed each of the 74,000 inmates. 

Identified cases¶

28 December. Huye prisonreported 103 new positive cases and Kigali prison confirmed 39. Eleven additional inmates have tested positive in the rest of the country.

19 November. Officials reported over 180 cases since the pandemic started in prisons. Twelve inmates have died from COVID-19.

17 November. Kigali prison recorded 129 cases. Nine inmates at Rwamagana prison died. The authorities are trying to improve healthcare services in prison. Screening procedures, quarantine and isolation units, and ventilation facilities are being put in place.

14 November. Thirty inmates at Muhanga prison tested positive. However, the authorities have ensured that each institution has a space where new prisoners are tested and isolated before being put in contact with other prisoners.

Two inmates tested positive at Kigali and Nyanza prisons.

One Rwamagana prisoner died of COVID-19.

12 November. Twenty-seven inmates at Kigali prison tested positive.

9 November. Thirteen inmates from Nsinda prison in Rwamagana tested positive.

29 June. Seventy-two people detained in a police station cell in the district of Ngoma tested positive.

8 April. Visits to prisons were suspended.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

16 April. The World Islamic Call Society (WICS) said that it would shortly deliver hydroalcoholic solution, soap and bleach to the prisons of the country.

Judicial system¶

13 May. The prison administration would benefit from an additional budget of 50 million CFA francs granted by the government to respond to the health crisis.

21 May. The government announced the future use of electronic bracelets for conditional releases.

Sentence adjustments¶

29 July. On the occasion of the Tabeski holiday (Eid al-Adha in West Africa) the Minister of Justice pardoned 674 prisoners. This measure concerned sick, elderly, minor or rehabilitated prisoners and first-time offenders.

7 June. After a two-month suspension of his sentence for health reasons, former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré was returned to his prison cell.

6 April. The former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré benefited from a 60-day sentence suspension as part of the measures taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in prisons. He left the Cap Manuel prison and would remain at home under the supervision of prison officers.

23 March. The Ministry of Justice announced that 2 036 prisoners were pardoned. Among them, 1 846 saw their sentences pardoned in their entirety. The yearly amnesty, which is usually given on the eve of the celebration of Independence Day on 4 April, was granted earlier to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Prisoners suspected or convicted of rape, paedophilia, livestock theft, illegal trafficking of medicines, wood or endangered species were not given access to this measure.

Contact with the outside world¶

1st October. The prison administration authorised the resumption of visits. Each prisoner may be visited once every 15 days. However, the prison administration must be notified in advance. The prison administration sets the schedule and ensures that health measures are respected. New inmates, who are routinely placed in quarantine, do not benefit from visits.

19 September. Prison officials authorised the resumption of the mailing of food to prisons. The food had to be sent sealed in air-tight containers.

28 August. Receiving food packages, which had been banned as a result of COVID, was permitted for the Tamkharit (Achoura) holiday.

8 June. The authorities were organising the resumption of consular visits, as well as those of nongovernmental associations and organisations, in prisons. The prisons in the regions of Dakar, Thiès-Diourbel and Ziguinchor were not concerned. The authorities said they were working on authorising visits for relatives in the upcoming days.

8 May. Guards reported that they were less and less supportive of the containment measures imposed on their workplace. Many have not left their posts since the implementation of the measures, despite the prison management’s mention of bi-weekly shift rotations. Guards reportedly received a bonus of 35 000 FCFA, but there were also reportedly cuts in salaries at the end of the month.

24 March. Prison staff was consigned, for a period of at least 10 days, within the facilities. Incoming detainees would be placed in solitary confinement in the Cap Manuel prison as a priority. Parcel and meal deliveries as well as prison visits were suspended. However, the prison administration authorized lawyers to visit and provided free-of-charge telephones in order to maintain contact with the outside world.

5 March. The government suspended visits and arrivals in prison.
The prison administration reduced prison admissions and visits.

A former prisoner of the Reubeuss prison and Amnesty International alerted to high spread risk in a context of overpopulation.

Acts of protest¶

19 August. Some prisoners at the Mbourprison were on a hunger strike. They wanted to draw attention to their detention conditions and the presence of COVID-19 cases among them. The strikers demanded visits from judicial officials. The ONLPL (National Observer of Places of Deprivation of Liberty) quickly sent a delegation to present a report to the government on the situation.

Appeals et recommendations¶

6 July. Former prisoners and relatives of inmates challenged the authorities at a press conference organised by the Collective for justice and against Police Violence. They denounced the poor detention conditions, lack of food, the length of pre-trial detention and the suspension of prison visits. One mother said: “my son has been imprisoned at Rebeuss for almost two years. He has still not been tried. I used to visit him often to bring him food but this is no longer possible because of the ban”. A recently pardoned former inmate stated that “[t]here is no point in even bringing donations into the prisons because the inmates don’t get them. On the contrary, it is the people who are entrusted with the donations who benefit from them“. Those present called on the government to develop alternatives to incarceration, to release more inmates and to promote reintegration.

3 July. The lawyers of the former Chadian dictator Hissène Hadré regretted the lack of extension to his sentence adjustement. He returned to prison on the 6 June, having been the subject of a suspended sentence for two months due to the state of his health.

22 May. The Association pour le soutien et la réinsertion des détenus (ASRED – Association for the Support and Reintegration of Prisoners) requested that the President of the Republic pardon 3 800 prisoners to ease overcrowding in prisons.

25 March. The National Observatory for Places of Deprivation of Freedom (ONLPL) advised the government to make phone calls free to maintain relationships with relatives. It recommended that further hygiene and sanitary products be provided. It encouraged legal authorities and the government to favour reduced sentences.

24 march. A former prisoner from the Reubeuss prison and Amnesty International notified on the high risk of transmission due to overcrowding.

Identified cases¶

27 July. Ten inmates and two guards tested positive at Ziguinchor Prison.

1 July. Eight inmates and the head of the infirmary at Diourbel prison tested positive. The prison service was preparing to transfer them to Thiès.

25 June. A recently jailed prisoner at Thiès prison tested positive on the eighth day of quarantine. The administration announced that it was applying the necessary health protocol in collaboration with regional health teams.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

27 April. A rum manufacturer donated hydroalcoholic gel to the prison administration.

Contact with the outside world¶

6 May. The administration authorized the resumption of visits to the Montagne Posée prison, the main one in the archipelago. A hand washing station was installed and supervisors were made responsible for taking the temperature of visitors at the entrance to the establishment.

14 April. The prison administration organised the reception and delivery of parcels intended for detained persons to preserve the link with relatives.

9 April. Visits to the prison were suspended.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

25 August. Prison Watch Sierra Leone assisted the prison administration in its fight against COVID-19 and malaria by providing goods, food, and mosquito nets to Freetown women’s prison. The organisation also provided training to select officers.

6 July. Don Bosco Fambul, a Salesian organisation, was renovating the solitary confinement area for inmates arriving at Special Court prison in Freetown. A new sanitary block was being built in the men’s ward, allowing for better evacuation and ventilation.

The prison administration at Pademba Road called on the same organisation for help in connecting the facility to the water system and renovating its sewage system.

17 June. Journalists were alarmed by the conditions of detention at the Pademba Road prison. Detainees were reportedly forced to urinate and defecate in a cell of disused toilets without flushing. The lack of water did not allow them to shower or wash their hands. The private company Guma Valley Water, in charge of this area, interrupted the water delivery to the prison two months earlier, demanding to the administration to pay the delayed bills. A prison service spokesman acknowledged that the water supply was insufficient. However, he mentioned that the administration was investing to repair the pipes and reconnect to the network.

Judicial system¶

28 April. Court hearings were suspended for one month. Police were encouraged to limit arrests to serious offenders.

Contact with the outside world¶

6 July. The computer training workshops at Pademba Road Prison reopened, after being destroyed during the mutiny on 29 April. A Salesian organisation took care of the renovation and the purchase of new equipment thanks to donations. The administration of the school also requested computers for the registry, secretariat and management, as they did not have them.

15 April. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provided the Correctional Service with mobile phones. Each prison received a phone to be shared by prisoners so they could keep in touch with their families.

Acts of protest¶

29 April. People detained at Pademba Road prison in Fembown revolted and set fire to parts of the establishment. Shots were heard from outside. A justice ministry spokesperson reported that the mutiny was over and that five prisoners and two prison officers were killed.

Appeals and recommendations¶

25 March. The NGO AdvocAid demanded the government to release pregnant women and their children, people in pre-trial detention, those sentenced to short terms and vulnerable prisoners. They also asked the government to avoid overcrowding the courts and to install hygiene and protection devices in prison facilities. The country, previously traumatized by the Ebola epidemic in 2014, established a 12-month health emergency state.

Identified cases¶

17 June. The authorities recognised that 30 detainees were infected at the Pademba Road prison. Eighteen of them were considered to be cured and the remaining 12 were placed in solitary confinement.

26 April. One prisoner tested positive at Pademba Road Prison from Freetown, three days after his trial.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

15 June. The Ministry of Justice of Somaliland and the United Nations delivered handwashing stations, sanitising products, as well as personal protection equipment to the Hargeysa, Mandheera, Berbera, Ceergabo, Gibilay, Boorama, Salaxlay, Bali-Gubadle and Wajaale prisons. They also trained prison staff in health prevention measures.

6 May. The United Nations sent, with the support of the Swedish government and the European Union, products and equipment to Mogadishu, Garowe, Kismaayo, Baidoa and Beledweyn prisons. The establishments received sanitary products and equipment, cultural, religious and leisure equipment as well as new mattresses, sheets and kitchen equipment. Detained persons received hygienic products (soap, hydroalcoholic gel, detergent, toothpaste). Prison staff also received N95 masks, gloves and thermometers.

4 April. The Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) notified the present risks posed by the coronavirus epidemic for the Somali populations suffering from malnutrition and insecurity. The ICRC sent a six-month supply of soap to the prisons of Mogadishu and Kismaayo. They also worked on implementing a risk prevention campaign in more than twenty penal facilities across the country.

Sentence adjustments¶

30 June. The government of Somaliland had released 939 people since the onset of the pandemic.

2 April. The President of the Republic pardoned 148 inmates.

1 April. The President of the De facto Independent Republic of Somaliland pardoned 574 prisoners to decongest penal establishments.

Contact with the outside world¶

22 March. The Mogadishu Government postponed prison visits.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

31 August. The United Nations held an awareness raising day at Nyala (South-Darfur) prison for women where personal protective equipment and hygiene items were handed out.

22 June. The United Nations distributed 500 masks, 50 litres of hydro-alcoholic gel, 50 litres of soap and 10 cartons of bars of soap to 750 inmates at the Shala prison. The organisation also donated 50 masks to the Kass prison in Darfur.

17 June. The United Nations provided toiletries to inmates at Zalingei prison and Darfour prison.

11 June. The joint mission of the United Nations and the African Union in Darfur (UNAMID) sensitised the supervisors of the El Daein prison to preventive measures.

9 June. The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) conducted an awareness-raising campaign on preventive measures at Shallah prison in Darfur.

8 June. The United Nations distributed soap and sanitizer to the 907 inmates in Nyala prison in Darfur.

27 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) offered its support to prison directors. The organisation installed 83 handwashing stations in ten prisons in the previous few days. It also distributed 10,700 soaps to detained persons and prison officials. They also provided around one hundred illustrated posters presenting prevention measures. The ICRC trained, in collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), 17 prison health professionals, who in turn would train the rest of the staff. Finally, the ICRC planned to send protective equipment (gloves and masks) to 11 places of detention and to renovate the institutions’ health networks and facilities.

Sentence adjustments¶

28 June. The governor of Kassala prison authorised the release of 47 prisoners following a protest.

15 April. The prison authorities of the White Nile launched an early release program at theKosti prison. Around 40 detainees, sentenced for political reasons, were concerned.

25 March The Sovereign Transitional Council authorizes the early release of 4,217 detainees from the Al-Hoda prison. This measure was taken in response to the public health emergency that prevails in the country.

Contact with the outside world¶

27 April.. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) set up ”Restore family links” allowing detained persons and their relatives to communicate by telephone.

Acts of protest¶

28 June. Inmates at Kassala prison protested after several other prisoners infected by Covid-19 were tested. The police were called to the facility to break up the protest and injured several prisoners. Two were transferred to the hospital.

27 June. Inmates at Port Soudan prison started a riot. One was shot dead by the police and several others were injured.

8 May. Prisoners rose up and tried to escape by climbing the perimeter wall of Shala prison in Darfur. The incident took place when another group of prisoners were being released. The supervisors stalled the movement but at least one person was killed and eleven were injured.

29 April. The family members and supporters of incarcerated former dictator Omar al-Bashir and his associates demonstrated in front of the presidential palace. They demanded their immediate release from Kober prison. According to them, Ahmed Haroun, accused by the International Court of Justice of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur and Kordofan, had tested positive and been moved to hospital.

29 March. People incarcerated in al-Hoda prison rebelled while the administration was making transfers to police stations and courts. Prisonners demanded their release for fear of contamination. The police was able to suppress the movement but a prisoner was injured.

Identified cases¶

26 June. Four inmates at Kassala prison tested positive.

11 June. One detainee was tested positive at theEl Daein Prison in Darfur.

27 May. Eight detainees of the Kober prison, including the brother of deposed dictator Omar Al Bashir, were transfered to hospitals outside their prisons. Three of them have already tested positive to COVID-19, while the other two, including M. Al Bashir, are suspected to have been contaminated.

14 May. Sharif Omar Badr, a prominent figure of the dissolved National Congress Party regime accused of corruption, was transferred from a police station cell in Karthoum to a hospital. There, he died from COVID-19.

4 May. The Minister of the Interior confirmed the information previously reported by Ahmed Haroun, leader of the NCP party. He tested positive for coronavirus at Kober prison and was transferred to a health facility.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

26 July. Bangladeshi UN staff donated medicines, hygiene products and protective equipment to female prisoners at Wau prison.

30 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) installed hand washing points in 14 places of detention. The organisation raised awareness, sent food to prisoners and protective equipment to prison staff at seven establishments.

19 April. Authorities say they are implementing measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in prison. Visitation hours were suspended.

18 April. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) partnered with the government and prison officials in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic in prisons. The organisation handed over hand-washing water dispensers, thermometers, face masks, gloves and hygienic and sanitary products to justice and prison personnel, as well as inmates.

9 April. The Director of the Yambio central prison announced that they had established an isolation centre within the prison. New prisoners would be quarantined on arrival for two weeks before they could join others. The Governor highlighted the shortage of medicine.

Judicial system¶

9 April. The Director of the Yambio central prison highlighted the shortage of judges to try several cases in the prison.

Sentence adjustments¶

17 August. Officials released 30 inmates from Aweil prison in Bahr el Ghazal du Nord in an effort to reduce overcrowding. The prison has a capacity of 150, but is currently holding over 500 inmates.

7 May. UNICEF welcomed the early release of 85 children. Eleven children still remain imprisoned.

19 April. A circular distributed by the National Prison Service instructed prison authorities to release de 1 400 inmates in all states. It recommended that juvenile detainees and prisoners with six months or less remaining on their sentence be released.

Contact with the outside world¶

30 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) distributed mobile phones in seven places of detention to allow 4 000 detainees to maintain contact with their loved ones.

9 April. Visits were suspended in the Yambio central prison.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

12 June. The American NGO Water Mission, with the support of a Danish foundation, installed 35 hand washing stations in the prisons of Segerea, Ukonga, Kesko and Wazo in the Dar es Salaam region.

20 May. The national Women in Public Service programme donated handwashing stations, masks, and sanitary and hygiene products to staff and prisoners of Isanga prison.

Sentence adjustments¶

22 April. The Nigerian Ambassador obtained the early release of 60 of the 73 Nigerians detained in the country’s prisons. Most were convicted for drug-related offenses. The people concerned remained in Tanzanian prisons while their government arranged for their repatriation.

20 March. North-East district judges received an order to avoid sentencing people to prison “at all costs” to prevent coronavirus spread. Visits in prison were suspended throughout the country.

Appeals and recommendations¶

20 May. A coalition of national and international organisations welcomed the pardons granted to 3,717 detainees on the occasion of the national holiday. However, it considered the number to be insufficient. It drew attention to overcrowding in prisons and prison conditions, which, during an epidemic, represented a risk for the health of prisoners and staff alike. It requested more releases, particularly for people awaiting trial (more than half the prison population). It also encouraged prison authorities to promote the use of mobile phones and digital devices so prisoners could keep in touch with their lawyers and relatives.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

15 September. The Minister of Justice vouched that inmates at Koro Toro prison, located in the heart of the Kanemdesert, were being well treated. Visits and food parcels are still authorised and inmates are given two meals a day. The Red Cross can visit the prison twice a month.

16 July. The Chadian Convention for the Defence of Human Rights (CTDDH) expressed concern about the health of 29 persons detained in the secret jails of the National Security Agency (ANS), some of whom were said to be “extremely ill and deprived of care”.

5 May. A theatre company donated several hand-washing water dispensers, hygienic products and posters displaying basic health advice to the Amsinéné prison.

30 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) installed 13 hand-washing stations in the Amsinéné and Bol prisons, as well as two prevention and control structures at the entrance of the Amsinene prison. The organisation is also digging a well at the Bol prison and supplied 7 200 bars of soap and sanitary and hygienic products to both establishments.

Judicial system¶

24 March. The Minister of Justice forbade all public hearings of courts of justice, except flagrant offenses and private hearings. Visits in prison were also suspended.

Sentence adjustments¶

11 August. The president of the Republic pardoned 538 prisoners during a national holiday.

9 April. The Minister of Justice announced the early release of 3 200 prisoners, 327 of whom were released from the Amsinéné prison the same day. This measure primarily concerned ill or elderly prisoners, minors and pregnant women.

7 April. Prisoners who are sick, minors or those who have served three quarters of their sentence, as well as pregnant women could be released. Prosecutors and the General Inspectorate would be responsible for studying and verifying the eligibility of the prisoners concerned.

Acts of protest¶

8 May. Three prisoners escaped by climbing over the wall of the Amsinéné prison. A fourth prisoner suffered a leg injury in the gun battle, his leg was subsequently amputated.

25 April. Over a hundred inmates escaped from the Bongor prison, in the province of Mayo-Kebbi Est, after having severely injured three guards. One of the fleeing prisoners was killed near the area of the establishment and two others drowned in the Logone.

20 March. The suspension of visits and the fear of the pandemic are at the root of a collective escape that occurred at Amsinéné prison. At least two detainees died and several were injured. Authorities do not report the number of escaped detainees. They claim that a medical team is on site to prevent the contagion in prison.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

13 October. A bakery was opened in Kara prison. A balanced and regular diet will ensure that inmates and prison staff are protected from COVID-19. The initiative, which is partly funded by the EU, is one of the actions of the project, ”Assistance d’urgence à la population carcérale du Togo contre la Covid-19“.

23  September. An episcopal organisation sent hygiene and sanitary products as well as protective equipment to Atakpamé prison. A dozen other prisons will soon benefit from similar donations.

7 July. A youth organisation donated 5 000 gloves and masks, 1 250 litres of soap, 635 litres of bleach, 80 litres of hydroalcoholic gel and 2 340 bars of soap to the MInistry of Justice for use in prisons.

The Minister of Justice announced the installation of hand washing stations and the implementation of preventive measures, with temperature taking in the prisons of Aného, Vogan, Tsévié, Notsè and Sokodé. He announced his administration’s intention to “rehabilitate and train hygiene committees in prisons”. Consultations between stakeholders in the penal system were planned in order to consider alternative sentences and the isolation of new prisoners.

The Director of the Prison Administration assured the public that “the situation [was] good [in] prison”.

3 June. A Member of Parliament handed over 2 000 face masks, hand-washing water dispensers and 250 litres of soap to the Lomé prison.

23 May. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) donated 30 hand-washing stations, 15 000 masks, 10 000 bottles of hydroalcoholic gel and 50 thermometers to the prison administration.

21 May. The authorities said 2 000 prisoners detained in the prisons of Lomé and Tsévié had been tested. The campaign should shortly be extended to the rest of the country’s prisons.

15 May. Prisonniers sans frontières (PRSF, Prisoners Without Borders) gave masks and soap to Notsé prison.

12 May. PRSF (Prisoners Without Borders) donated soap to Dapaong Prison.

24 April. The European Union released an emergency fund of 400 000 euros to the prison administration. Protective equipment (masks and gloves), screening (infrared thermometers) and sanitary products (hydroalcoholic gel, detergents) were given to the prison services.

22 April. The administration proceeded their disinfection campaigns in penitentiary establishments of the country.

Judicial system¶

22 June. The Pan-African Democratic Party (PDP) proposed putting public-private partnerships (PPP) in place in order to respond to the multiple issues occurring in prisons. They mentioned the delegation of tasks such as maintenance or professional training, while indicating that security, administration and management should remain the responsibility of the State.

Sentence adjustments¶

1 April. A presidential decree pardoned 1 048 people detained in ten or so prisons. This measure was primarily intended for people whose remaining sentence was ten months or less. Prisoners in pre-trial detention were not affected.

Contact with the outside world¶

24 April. Persons detained received telephone credit in order to maintain family ties despite the suspension of visits.

22 April. Prison visits were suspended.

Acts of protest¶

17 September. NGOs, social workers, and inmates at Lomé prison decried the visitation suspension. They demanded for visits to resume and to equip the accommodations to respect health measures. Visits represent an important source of emotional support, food and medicine for prisoners.

12 May. Prisoners in Lomé prison revolted against the spread of the coronavirus in the establishment. The riot police used tear gas and rubber bullets. A wall was said to have been knocked down and several serious injuries were reported. The half-brother of the President of the Republic, detained in the establishment, was reportedly exfiltrated.

11 May. One of the sick prisoners of COVID-19 escaped when transferred from Lomé prison to an outside health facility.

Appeals and recommendations¶

16 August. Guards in charge of ill inmates demanded the same extra pay received by nurses and cooks. They complained that external suppliers refuse to sell them food, for fear they will spread the virus and that they are given the same food as inmates.

26 June. The Collective of Associations against Impunity in Togo (CACIT) criticised the government for not introducing new measures since the report published by the OMCT in July 2019. The latter recommended, among other points, the closure of the Lomé prison. The collective worried about the “psychological trauma” experienced by prisoners confronted with the epidemic.

10 June. The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the Collectif des associations contre l’impunité au Togo (CACIT) welcomed the release of 17 detained children as part of the preventive measures taken by the government. The organisations called for a general release of detained minors in order to protect them from the epidemic and to establish a moratorium on their incarceration.

8 June. The Association of Victims of Torture in Togo (ASVITTO) denounced the conditions of detention of the 152 detainees infected with COVID-19 in the prison of Lomé. They were said to be crammed into small cells and not to have a proper medical follow-up. The rest of the prison population was also said to be insufficiently protected. The association feared that the lack of action was deliberated and aimed to endanger certain political prisoners.

2 April. Prisoners from Lomé prison denounced the presidential decree, considering it very insufficient. They protested against the overcrowding of establishments, the lack of access to healthcare and the number of meals limited to one per day.

Identified cases¶

28 May. More than 150 prisoners tested positive in the Lomé prison. Prison officials would then refuse new admissions.

10 May. The number of prisoners who tested positive at Lomé prison stood at 19.

8 May. Two prisoners from Lomé prison tested positive with coronavirus. Some sources confirmed the death of a prisoner of Ivorian nationality, following COVID-19.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

6 November. Some human rights organisations sounded the alarm on poor prison conditions: overpopulation, poor sanitary and food conditions, insufficient personal protective measures. The administration announced a series of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. These included providing thermal scanners, increasing sanitizing procedures, conducting awareness campaigns, and having special units for quarantined inmates.

9  October. An inmate’s daughter denounced the deplorable handling of the coronavirus crisis inside prisons. She said that her father had coronavirus symptoms, but prison officials refused to provide medication. 

6 August. The prison administration announced increased preventive measures, including disinfection and the use of cameras to record temperatures at the entrance to each centre. Masks were available for sale in all facilities. Wearing masks would be mandatory for relatives of inmates during visits.

25 April. Udhna Prison is equipped to receive and treat prisoners with COVID-19 when necessary. The Minister of Justice recalls that no new cases have been registered in the country’s prisons.

25 March. Women prisoners in la Manouba are mobilized to make protective masks in a sewing workshop. The administration explains that “a significant number of protective masks and gloves as well as thermometers and disinfectants” are distributed to protect the detainees. Several other mask making workshops are organized in the institutions of la Mornaguia, Mahdia, Burj Al Roumi, Sousse Messaâdine, Jendouba and Burj Al Amri.

19 March. The President of the Republic gives instructions to disinfect the premises.

12 March. The prison administration announces the strengthening of hygiene measures in prisons. The administration is planning sterilization operations, the acquisition of thermal cameras and the creation of isolation cells. New arrivals are subjected to a full medical examination before being placed in a cell. Special visiting rooms (visits involving direct contact between prisoners and visitors) are suspended until further notice. The possibility of introducing food parcels prepared by families (baskets) is limited. The administration is planning to set up awareness and information campaigns for prisoners and prison staff on the preventive measures to be adopted.

Judicial system¶

15 June. The government adopts an order-in-council providing for the introduction of the electronic bracelet. The purpose of this measure is to combat prison overcrowding. The Tunisian League for Human Rights welcomes this first step towards the adoption of alternative sentences. The organization recalls the need for structural reforms of the prison system and the revision of certain judicial procedures.

19 April. The Ministry of Justice announces the resumption of remote trials from 2 May. A room is equipped at Mornaguia prison.

Sentence adjustments¶

13 August. The Head of state, Kaïs Saïed, granted a presidential pardon to 73 female inmates for the National Women’s’ Day. Twenty-three women were released and fifty others had their sentences reduced.

22 July. The president of the Republic granted pardon to 859 inmates for the Republic holiday; 213 of them were released while the rest had their sentences reduced.
The President of the Republic granted a special pardon to 859 inmates on the occasion of Republic Day. A total of 213 prisoners were expected to be released as a result of the measure, while the remainder would benefit from reduced sentences.

22 May. The President of the Republic grants a special pardon to 859 persons detained on the occasion of Republic Day. A total of 213 prisoners are expected to be released as a result of this measure. The rest of them will benefit from a reduced sentence.

The President of the Republic gracie 643 people, on the occasion of Eid El-Fitr.

19 May. The Ministry of Justice announces the amnesty of 2,795 detainees and the release on parole of 2 559 others.

31 March. The government provides for the house arrest of prisoners over the age of 65, mothers of children under the age of six and sick people.
Those who have served at least half of their prison sentence will be released on parole. The length of the probationary period is set at three years.
The President graciously 1 420 prisoners in order to reduce prison overcrowding. A decree also calls for the disinfection of prisons and support for medical units in their fight against the epidemic.

20 March. Six hundred and seventy convicts were released and 1 186 received a reduced sentence on the 64th anniversary of Tunisian independence.

19 March. The President of the Republic calls the Special Commission on Pardons to study the possible release of certain prisoners in order to “alleviate prison pressure”.

Contact with the outside world¶

6 November. Visits were suspended. Packages from families were reduced from three to two a week.

19 May. The cost of meals in prisons increased. The increase was aimed at improving the quality of meals and came after families were no longer allowed to bring food in to their prisoner relatives.

19 May. The cost of prison meals is increasing. This increase is intended to improve the quality of meals and is in response to the inability of families to bring food to their imprisoned relatives.

One hundred and eighty telephones have been installed in institutions across the country to help maintain family ties. This measure follows the suspension of visits. The prisons had not been provided with telephones until now.

Appeals and recommendations¶

28 October. The Ministry of Justice announced the construction of new prisons. This decision was made after the current detention conditions, where overcrowding and the spread of COVID-19 were prevalent. At the same time, the authorities announced the increase of the number of beds and the reserved space for each prisoner. Finally, alternatives of imprisonment would be favored from now on.

21 May. The staff of the civil prison of Bor El Amri organizes a sit-in in front of the prison to demand the application of certain provisions (promotion and bonuses in particular). He reminds that they are understaffed. One of the main demands is to come back under the bosom of the Ministry of the Interior as was the case until 2019.

18 May. Members of parliament warn about the impossibility of implementing preventive measures in prisons. They explain this impossibility by prison overcrowding. They call for the reform of the prison system: development of alternative sentences, implementation of rehabilitation activities, improvement of the situation of prison administration staff and lawyers, etc…

31 March. The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) requests the Turkish legislature not to exclude from the measures of conditional release persons detained for political, ethnic or religious reasons. The organisation warns in particular about the plight of journalists, human rights defenders or victims of gender-based violence.

19 March. Fifteen human rights organisations have called for a “drastic reduction in the number of people detained”. The organizations propose to limit the use of police custody and pre-trial detention. They also call for more conditional releases and for the maintenance of links between detainees and their families while respecting health protection measures.

Identified cases¶

18 November. An inmate at Monastir prison died of COVID-19. This is the third death in prison since the beginning of the pandemic.

14 November. Three inmates at Bulla Regia prison tested positive. They are in isolation and awaiting their transfer to a dedicated facility.

26 October. Judicial authorities announced that 87 prisoners and 90 prison officers tested positive.

30  September. Thirty-four inmates and five prison guards tested positive at Mornaguia prison. Infected inmates did not have symptoms and were able to reassure their families by telephone. New inmates were taken to other facilities.

9 July. One new case was recorded at the Gabès prison, a Burkinabé national.

8 July. A trade union of the internal security forces indicated that an inmate at the civil prison of Gabes had contracted COVID-19.

25 June. A detainee tested positive for COVID-19 in El Dir prison. She is transferred to the COVID-19 center in Monastir.

19 June. An inmate at El Dir prison in Kef tested tested positive for COVID-19. This is the first case in the country’s prisons. This person is placed in sanitary isolation. Preventive measures are implemented in accordance with the health protocol. Tests will be carried out on female guards and 140 detainees.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

21  September. The Commissioner General of Prisons thanked the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) for its work in prisons. The institution is completing a one-year project to reduce the risk of the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in prisons. This initiative led to the creation of a health committee in each institution.

30 July. The United Nations planned to eventually distribute 15 000 masks to inmates in Southern, Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces and to renovate the health facilities of some prisons.

27 May. The Prison Administration thanked the European Union and the German Federal Government for their “huge donation “. The Administration received shower cubicles, numerous hand-washing stations, cleaning equipment, litres of liquid detergent as well as numerous boxes of hygiene and sanitary products.

4 May. The Italian NGO CELIM looked to get prisons to manufacture face masks. Over recent months, it distributed sewing machines and provided sewing lessons in a number of prisons.

12 May. A corporate foundation donated handwashing stations and sanitary and hygiene products to Mukobeko prison.

Sentence adjustments¶

22 May. The president of the Republic pardoned 2 993 prisoners.

Contact with the outside world¶

18 March. The authorities announced a restriction on movements and visits to prison. They called for limiting the imprisonment of new people, especially those in an irregular situation. COVID-19 was identified as a new threat for the prison population. Many prisoners were already suffering from HIV/AIDS and malnutrition. They would often have to buy the space they need to sleep as the facilities are overcrowded.

Identified cases¶

15 August. An independence activist leader from Barotseland died from COVID-19 at Mukobeko prison. Several other inmates recently passed away in similar circumstances.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

2 December. The High Court ordered the government to temporarily provide 60 litres of potable water a day to every inmate at Chikurubi prison. Funds needed to be made available for the purchase of food and water containers. The order included supplying medicine and medical technology within the two weeks that followed, and immediately separating healthy inmates from those who were ill. The prison houses more than 2,000 prisoners awaiting trial. One of them reported that there are more than 40 inmates in cells meant to hold 16.

25 November. Overcrowding is affecting inmates at Chikurubi Female Prison . The cancellation of visits is adding to the food shortage and affecting the supply of COVID-19 protective equipment. Women who breast-feed their children have priority to the food.

24 November. A prisoner in Chikurubi prison called for a judicial enquiry into the country’s detention conditions. He accuses authorities of violating prisoner rights. Chikurubi prison accommodates more than 2,000 people in 1,360 places. Physical distancing measures are impossible to implement, water has not been accessible for three weeks, and there have been outbreaks of diarrhoea, tuberculosis and hepatitis B.

28 October. Recent visits pointed the deplorable detention conditions and inadequate diet. The prison population stands at 22,000 inmates for 17,000 places. The president pardoned thousands of prisoners at the beginning of the pandemic.

2  October. The producer of the Hopewell Chin’ono documentary denounced detention conditions in Harare and Chikurubi prisons after being incarcerated for 45 days. He accused prison guards of being violent with inmates, and reported on the unsanitary conditions, promiscuity, overcrowding and lack of medication and personal protection equipment. 

25  September. A prison official indicated, anonymously, that the budget allocated to feed prisoners was calculated according to the official capacity of the facilities, not to the size of the population.
The Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights expressed concern over prisons being a “potential COVID-19 time bombs by their very nature”. However, he emphasised that his organisation is ready to support the preventive actions carried out by the prison administration.

16 September. One person, released recently from Masvingo prison spoke out against the detention conditions. Physical distancing was impossible due to overcrowding and fleas infested the bedding. The food was horrible, which was mostly sadza (flour boiled in water), spinach and boiled beans.

7 September. A recently released journalist reported that inmates infected with COVID-19 were treated only with hot water and given a daily ration of boiled beans and cabbage.

26 August. The prison administration was pleased with their ability to contain the spread of the pandemic at Bulawayo prison. The 43 inmates who tested positive were placed in solitary confinement at Khami prison for recovery. A national awareness campaign was launched to educate all staff and inmates on prevention measures. All must wear a mask and wash their hands regularly.

25 August. A judge ordered that the cells in Chikurubi prison be fumigated. A member of one of the opposition parties, who has been incarcerated there for a few days, expressed his concern stating: “I don’t feel safe being held in Chikurubi prison and I would prefer to be locked up anywhere but here.”

13 August. The Hwawha prison, in the suburb of Gweru, received a supply of masks, sanitisers and infrared thermometres. The prison boosted its farming to ensure there was enough food for the inmates. Other PPEs were delivered to the Chinhoyi prison.

Judicial system¶

22 June. Juvenile prisons stated that they would no longer take new inmates. A teenager convicted of murder saw his imprisonment commuted to community service.

11 May. Forced repatriations from Botswana and South Africa brought back several nationals fleeing from Zimbabwe where justice was looking for them. The police declared that they identified them and intended to arrest them at the end of their quarantine.

Contact with the outside world¶

10 July. Prison visits were suspended across the country.

Sentence adjustments¶

5 May. The authorities released 2 528 prisoners after an amnesty order. They were screened, on a voluntary basis, before their release from prison. The administration paid for their bus transportation to their homes. Several prisoners sentenced to a life of imprisonment were released. One hundred and seventy-two women were also released from prison.

1 May. The clemency order was amended by the President of the Republic to allow for more conditional releases. Detained minors, bedridden and disabled prisoners and those who had already served more than 20 years of their sentence would be considered first. Women and prisoners aged 60 or over could also request early release, provided they had not been convicted for violent crimes. All who had been sentenced to less than three years of prison and who had already served a quarter of their sentence also qualified.

22 April. The Minister of Justice announced the gradual release of pardoned prisoners and the imminent opening of this measure to other categories of detainees. Transfers of prisoners between establishments was planned in order to allow social distancing in the prison environment. The authorities also mentioned the construction of new prisons.

1 April. A presidential amnesty allowed the early release of more than 1 680 prisoners. The prison authorities called for the release of 5 000 prisoners in order to reduce the country’s prisons overcrowding.

Appeals et recommendations¶

28 October. The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and a former prisoner filed a request to the High Court to compel the Minister of Finance to fund the construction of additional prison facilities. This request aims to reduce the overcrowding in the country’s prisons, to prevent the imminent health disaster. They declare the failure to comply with sanitary measures, unlawful, concerning (supplying of masks, hydroalcoholic gels and respecting physical distances). The applicants requested supplies of food and water, vehicles for the transportation of prisoners, tests and medical supplies.

14 August The NGO Forum filed an application to parliament, asking that prison authorities improve health and meal conditions in their prisons to fight the pandemic, and that government allocate special funds.

30 July. The national chapter of the International Coalition Against Coronavirus in Africa (ICAC) urged the government to release more prisoners in order to contain the spread of the pandemic in prisons.

29 July. Human Rights Watch expressed alarm at the spread of the epidemic in the country’s prisons. The organisation called on the government to devise a clear strategy to decongest prisons and prevent the risk of contagion. It also argued that the Human Rights Commission, which is responsible for inspecting prisons, should be more involved in the defence of prisoners.

27 June. The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) denounced prison conditions and overcrowding. They were also concerned about the increase in violence from the State since the beginning of the country’s shelter-in-place period.

Identified cases¶

2 March. Six prison officers and six prisoners have died from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. A total of 403 officers and 564 inmates have reportedly tested positive for the virus.

21 July. The administration tracked 39 new cases at Bulawayo prison. Twenty-one guards also tested positive. A spokesperson for the prison service said there was an urgent need for hygiene and sanitary products and appealed for donations.

19 July. A warden and the husband of a warden tested positive at Chikurubi prison. Another person was believed to have recently died at the prison as a result of COVID-19. A secretary at the central prison administration in Harare also tested positive. As a result, the administration evacuated some offices. The Minister of Justice indicated that the situation was “under control” and that the areas concerned had been fumigated.

10 July. Four inmates and one prison guard tested positive in the Bulawayo prison. Prisoners with the virus were placed in quarantine in one cell. Prison authorities are implementing measures that are based on the health authorities’ recommendations.

2 June. The prison administration initiated a screening campaign. The campaign began in facilities close to the border, where people who had recently entered the country illegally had been incarcerated. The administration identified four prisoners and two guards who tested positive in Plumtree and Beitbridge prisons. 274 people were tested. The government suspended visits to both facilities. It announced that it would begin disinfecting the premises and that it had placed the infected individuals in isolation.