The government of Benin needs to uphold its human rights obligations by taking immediate measures to improve conditions in the country’s 11 prisons.
Development Diaries reports that according to information gathered from health and prison workers, 49 prisoners died during a seven-month period in 2023, Amnesty International said in a recent report.
It is understood that prisoners in Benin were subjected to filthy, overcrowded cells and denied clean water and medical treatment last year.
Amnesty International said it interviewed 500 prisoners, health workers and prison officials and discovered that most of the prisons researchers visited were not equipped with fans, despite the excessive heat.
According to the report, prison overcrowding is affecting all of Benin’s prisons, and number of prisoners is increasing. From less than 7,000 prisoners in 2016, there were 18,170 by December 2023.
That buildings with only narrow openings, which do not allow for sufficient ventilation, are shared by hundreds of prisoners is a violation of international human rights standards for the treatment of prisoners, known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.
The air in the buildings and cells is also unbreathable due to the lack of sanitary facilities, as prisoners are unable to go to the bathroom in a clean and decent manner.
For example, at Porto-Novo prison, women urinate and defecate in pots, which they also use as pillows. The men use a small barrel placed in the centre of one of the buildings, the only opening to which is the entrance door, according to the report.
The Nelson Mandela Rules represent the universally acknowledged blueprint for prison management in the 21st century. They outline minimum prison conditions, provide guidance, and set clear benchmarks for prison staff on how to uphold safety, security and human dignity.
Development Diaries, therefore, calls on the country’s Ministry of Justice, Legislation and Human Rights to take urgent measures in response to the Amnesty International investigations to improve the conditions of the 11 prisons.
Photo source: United Nations
