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Photo: Noticias
The National Human Rights Commission considers the conditions in Beira Central Jail “chaotic”, maintaining that detainees even sleep on top of each other because of overcrowding there.
Commissioner Alfredo Dias, who announced the findings, suggested that the solution to the problem could only be the transfer of some inmates to Savane Open Penitentiary [Centro Aberto de Savane] on the outskirts of Beira. Detainees who had served at least half of their sentence and had shown good behaviour would be covered by the transfer.
In the Centro Aberto de Savane, inmates carry out income generation activities in areas such as agriculture, handicrafts, carpentry, tailoring, livestock, poultry, metalwork, mechanics, painting, electricity and others. The purpose of these activities is to relieve the state of some of the cost associated with the functioning of the penitentiary, such as food, accommodation and medical care.
The human rights commissioner added that a detailed report on prison conditions had been submitted to the Sofala provincial authorities in the person of Governor Lourenço Bulha and Secretary of State Stella Zeca.
The National Human Rights Commission appealed to both provincial bodies to assure decent conditions of imprisonment and decongest the jails, so that inmates might live in a better environment.
The National Human Rights Commission delegation also met local justice administration bodies with a view to improving services provided to inmates.
READ: Mozambique: 17 prisoners escape from Beira Central Jail
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