Prison conditions in DR Congo have worsened, with reports of torture and sexual violence emerging from detention centers operated by the intelligence services, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Volker Turk stated during a human rights briefing on October 8 that prisoners in DR Congo are held in “disastrous conditions,” lacking access to legal representation and communication with their families.
The dire state of DR Congo’s overcrowded, violent, and unsanitary prisons gained attention in September when over 260 female inmates were sexually assaulted during a mass escape attempt at Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa. At least 129 individuals died when guards fired live ammunition at inmates attempting to escape. Although the official capacity of Makala Prison is 1,500, it currently houses over 15,000 inmates.
“In detention centers run by the intelligence services, numerous detainees experience torture and other forms of ill-treatment, including sexual violence,” Turk reported to the UN Human Rights Council.
Representatives from the UN Human Rights Office have consistently been denied access to both Makala and the intelligence services’ detention centers, spokesperson Seif Magango noted later that day. But, a spokesperson for the Congolese army, which oversees the intelligence services and their detention centers, stated he was unaware of Turk’s remarks.
When Tshisekedi took office in 2019, he pledged to close the intelligence services’ detention centers, which have a long history of violently mistreating detainees. Following last month’s prison break, Tshisekedi ordered an investigation and a review of the country’s main prisons to address overcrowding.