South Sudan: Juba Central Prison capacity 370 inmates holding 20,000+ inmates due to missing files

THIS is terrible. Imagine being one of these prisoners held on remand indefinitely. So much work needs doing in South Sudan while the lives of 20,000 fit young prisoners are wasted mainly due to missing files. Where are the humanitarians, churches and human rights workers for situations like this? Hundreds of thousands of people are paid to help others in dire straits. It's often the case that practical help is rarely available when really needed.

From Radio Tamazuj, Juba City

Dated Friday, 19 January 2024 - here is a copy in full:

Advocate: Juba Central Prison overcrowded by remand inmates due to missing files

Inmates at the Juba Central Prison. (File photo)

The Juba Central Prison, a facility run by the South Sudan National Prisons Service, has run out of room to house inmates.

According to an advocate who talked to Radio Tamazuj, the prison has a capacity of 370 rooms to accommodate 370 inmates but is currently bursting at the seams due to overcrowding and is now holding over 20,000 prisoners. This, according to the lawyer, has resulted in very poor sanitation and hygiene at the facility.

Advocate Godfrey Victor Bulla, the Executive Director of Justice and Human Rights Observatory (JAHRO), a legal advocacy organization, told Radio Tamazuj Thursday that the prison has been overwhelmed by the surging numbers of prisoners.

“To be honest, the capacity of Juba Central Prison is overwhelmed,” he revealed. “The current number of inmates inside the prison has surpassed the capacity of the facilities that were constructed to accommodate a certain small number.”

Bulla said inmates on remand are more than those who have been convicted and called for the immediate decongestion of the prison.

“What I know is that the number of remanded prisoners is more than those convicted. Many people are being arrested and brought to the prison and some are not taken to court while others do not even have files at the prosecutor’s office,” he underscored. “This is very unbearable. Some of the prisoners are already developing sicknesses. Some sicknesses broke out in November last year and we almost lost two people with cases of chest infection, breathing issues, and paralysis.”

The advocate added: “There are even outbreaks of chicken pox that affect the skins of the prisoners.”

He further revealed that Juba Central Prison takes care of and houses inmates who are not supposed to be in the prison.

“Some people are brought by the public prosecutor’s office yet their files are not in court and they are detained on remand,” he said. “So, you find Juba Central Prison taking responsibility for those who are both convicted and those who are on remand.”

Asked about services in the prison, Bulla acknowledged the availability of services in the prison but said they are not enough for the ever-increasing number of inmates.

“Yes, they are providing facilities, I can say there is food and water but those facilities and services are not enough compared to the number of people in prison,” he insisted.

The advocate recommends a comprehensive approach and response to mitigate overcrowding at the prison and says the issues of violations of inmates' rights must not be taken lightly because violation of a single constitutional right is a violation of the aspiration of the people of the country.

“All the institutions within the criminal justice system must perform their constitutional responsibility without any compromise; the police must be responsible and be trained very well to carry a proper investigations; the judiciary must provide transport, must provide access to justice without any delay; the public prosecution must take the accused person to court within 24 hours,” he recommended. “Institutions that are providing legal aid must be supported to provide it. So, I am calling for a comprehensive approach and response that we must work on providing this and put an end to this holding of people on remand indefinitely and create a proper system.”

View original with thanks to Radio Tamazuj: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/advocate-juba-central-prison-overcrowded-by-remand-inmates-due-to-missing-files

ENDS 

S. Sudan, Warrap: Prison break, 35 inmates on the run

From Radio Tamazuj 
Dated 8 December 2023 - full copy:

Prison break in Warrap: 35 inmates on the run

Warrap State authorities reported that 57 inmates escaped from Ayen Abiel prison in Twic County of Warrap State over the weekend. Official statements indicate that armed youth suspected to have come from Majook Noon payam attacked the prison at night, breaking the prison gates and facilitating the escape of the prisoners.

Of the fifty-seven escaped inmates, twenty-two have been recaptured along the border of Abyei and Kuajok town and are currently in police custody.

Major General John Machar Aweer, the Director of Prisons for Warrap State, told Radio Tamazu that efforts are underway to locate the remaining escaped prisoners in villages and towns.

“This incident occurred on Sunday last week in Twic County at the Ayen Abiel prison. Members of the Tit-Weng (Cattle Defense Force) attacked the prison, apprehended the prison warden, tied him up, and took his gun. They then fired shots where the police slept, but fortunately, no one was injured during the incident, and a total of 57 inmates escaped,” he said.

He added, “The Tit-Weng force used an axe to break the padlock, allowing 57 inmates to escape alongside armed youth suspected to belong to Majook Noon payam. This is the sequence of events, and ongoing searches and investigations are currently in progress.”

“We have successfully apprehended 22 inmates, but 35 are still missing. Our search efforts are ongoing, and the commissioner has established a committee comprising security and administrative personnel to track down the remaining escaped inmates.”

Machar mentioned that the county commissioner has instructed the chief of Majook Noon to recover the gun taken during the armed youth’s attack on the prison and holds him responsible for the incident.

Meanwhile, Simon Aguek, the Twic County commissioner, confirmed the situation, stating, “A group of criminals broke into the prison on the night of December 3, allowing 57 inmates to escape. I formed a committee to investigate and identify the criminals, and it appears that the attackers are still within Twic County.”

View original: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/prison-break-in-warrap-35-inmates-on-the-run

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