UN urges Central Africa to protect human rights in prison

The United Nations has called on authorities in the Central African Republic to guarantee human rights in prisons, where torture and malnutrition are common, said a report published Thursday.

Thousands of prisoners are currently being held in overcrowded places of detention across the country, with limited access to food, water, sanitation and basic healthcare, said the report.

Some had been in pre-trial detention for nearly six years, the report added.

And more than 1,500 people were detained illegally or arbitrarily by army and security forces last year, said the report, which covered 2023.

Malnutrition, lack of proper healthcare and poor hygiene conditions have led to outbreaks of diseases in prisons, the UN said.

“The findings of this report are worrying and require urgent and concrete actions from national authorities,” said UN rights chief Volker Turk.

“Ongoing reforms in the penitentiary system offer an important opportunity for the Central African Republic to address these human rights violations.”

He urged the authorities to carry out prompt and independent investigations in all cases of torture and ill-treatment, and hold those responsible to account.

Last year, the UN’s MINUSCA mission in the Central African Republic documented 125 victims of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in detention.

Some of those cases led to the death of the prisoner concerned, said the report.

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AFP

(NAMPA / AFP)