By Bampia James Bundu
Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, HRCSL has partnered with the parliamentary oversight committee on human rights to undertake "a macro-monitoring activity" in the three headquarter towns of Makeni, Kenema and Bo.
Human rights commissioner, Abdulai Brima Sheriff, who led the team said the move was to assess the extent of human rights violations in police cells, prisons and health facilities in those areas.
He told the Local Unit Commander and support staff at the Rogbaneh police station in Makeni that “the exercise is not to witch hunt but to identify lapses where human rights are concerned so that correctional mechanisms can be put in place.”
He added that monitoring conditions at detention facilities had been of “tremendous importance to the wellbeing of inmates, detainees and officials living and working in those institutions.”
Committee chairman, K.E.S Boya, MP, explained that the purpose of their visit was to get first-hand knowledge about some of the human rights violations being experienced by inmates but also to know the constraints faced by duty bearers in the discharge of their functions.
“After collating our information we will make it known in the well of parliament for appropriate policies. Monitoring and documenting violations of human rights in Sierra Leone is one of the key functions of HRCSL as demanded by the Human Rights Commission Act No.9 of 2004”, he said.
HRCSL's monitoring and research director, Joseph Kamara, observed that “the most common violations happen in detention centres where inmates are held in custody for years without indictments and their files getting missing. The prison cells are over-populated and inmates do not have beddings and blankets. The hygienic condition is as well a concern as their medical conditions”.
He said almost all the police stations they monitored had appealed for vehicles and logistics to help in the discharge of their duties, adding that it was also observed that poor remuneration for prison officers posed a threat to respect for human rights.
While addressing AIG Mustapha Kamara, the MP said that as a committee they would ensure parliament was fully informed about the conditions at the different detention facilities, hospitals as well as the wellbeing of inmates.
(C) Politico 17/07/14
