A total of 1,685 inmates classified as “seriously ill” have been released from Makala Prison, one of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s most notorious prisons, as part of efforts to reduce overcrowding.
The release, which began in the capital, Kinshasa, follows a recent incident at the prison where 129 inmates died during an attempted jailbreak. Some were shot by security forces, while others died in a crash.
The government had pledged to accelerate its decongestion plans for the prison, where conditions have been described as extremely harsh. Some of the released inmates, many of whom were in dire health, have been sent to clinics for medical treatment. Others were taken home by government-provided buses.
Images published by the Ministry of Justice show frail, malnourished inmates, with some suffering from severe injuries. In one instance, an emaciated man with a bandaged leg was pushed in a wheelbarrow, while another inmate, unable to stand, vowed to change his life.
Justice Minister Constant Mutamba, who had already ordered the release of hundreds of prisoners, continues efforts to lower the prison population and has banned the transfer of new inmates to the facility.
Makala Prison, built in the 1950s with a capacity of 1,500 inmates, had swelled to more than 12,000 people before the jailbreak. Conditions inside the prison have been likened to those of a concentration camp, with inadequate food and overcrowded cells.
While the release has been welcomed by prison reform advocates like Emmanuel Adu Cole, head of the Bill Clinton Foundation for Peace, the overall situation remains dire. Authorities have acknowledged the overcrowding, blaming some of it on the slow legal system, with only a small percentage of prisoners actually serving sentences. The majority are stuck in legal limbo, waiting for their cases to be resolved.
Source: BBC