By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A prison activitist, Emmanuel Cole has alleged that at least 66 persons have lost their lives in Makala prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Cole who visits prisons regularly alleged that the inmates died of malnutrition, suffocation, or lack of care.
On Sunday, “two more prisoners died in Makala prison, I myself saw their bodies,” he added. These two new deaths in prison bring the death toll for February alone to 35, according to Cole.
In January, his organization documented “31 deaths, including one woman,” also at Makala.
The facility was constructed for a maximum capacity of 1,500 people during the colonial era but currently holds 10,790 inmates, out of which 7,780 are on awaiting trial, said Cole, who monitors the situation of the prisoners on a daily basis.
Since the beginning of the year, judicial authorities have granted parole to 635 inmates in order to decongest the prison, Cole said, confirming Congolese media reports.
The meals offered to prisoners are not only “insufficient” but also of “poor quality”, while “having food should be a right for every prisoner”, he insisted.
The DRC President Felix Tshisekedi who has been in power since Jan. 2019 touted his human rights record on Monday during a speech at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
Mr. Tshisekedi said he had “placed the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms among the priorities of (his) mandate and the action of the government of the Republic.
“We call on the authorities to speed up the procedures so as not to detain hundreds and even thousands of people for long periods without trial or conviction,” said Emmanuel Cole.
