Prisoners still deserve their rights - HRC

Prisoners still deserve their rights - HRC
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Fri 05 Oct. 2012, 15:30 CAT

HUMAN Rights commissioner Arnold Kapelembi says prisoners should enjoy their rights just like any other human being.

In an interview, Kapelembi who recently visited places of detention in Eastern Province together with commissioner Austin Chisenga and provincial human rights officials said even if people were convicted or were just suspects, they still deserved certain rights and that their dignity should not be taken away.

He said there was need to ensure that prisoners had enough food and water while those who were sick should have access to medical facilities.

Kapelembi said prisoners who were able to continue with their education should do so because some education facilities had been established in prisons.

He said overcrowding was one of the major problems facing prisons in the country.

"The common problem that we find is congestion, you know these facilities were built many years ago for a small population but now the population has grown. You know when the population grows even crime also increases," Kapelembi said.

He said congestion in prisons as well as in police cells was a big problem in the country.

Kapelembi said after the visit of the detention facilities, they would make recommendations to the executive.

"At the same time we look at staff housing because police and prison officers also deserve decent accommodation, so we have to check their accommodation. We have to check, are they sharing accommodation? Some places we found three families sharing a two bedroomed house which is not dignified. So we still make recommendations on that," said Kapelembi.