More than 100 killed in jailbreak
An attempted jailbreak at one of Africa’s most notorious prisons ended in tragedy last month, as officials said that at least 129 prisoners had been killed at Makala central prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Nearby residents were woken by the sound of gunshots at 2am on September 2nd. Exactly what happened remains unclear, with an inquiry underway, but witnesses described an “uprising”, with an administrative building within the jail set ablaze and men fleeing towards the gates. The majority of those killed were shot dead by security forces as they tried to make their getaway, with others reportedly crushed in the throng. Videos filmed inside the prison in the aftermath of the disorder showed dead half-dressed bodies lined up on the ground, most with gunshot wounds.
The government confirmed that some female prisoners had been raped by male prisoners during the mayhem, with one woman, ‘Alice’ telling broadcaster Al Jazeera that she estimated 100 of her fellow detainees had been assaulted. She said the men “broke the door of the women’s block and they started raping us. They came with knives and razor blades, and if you refused they said they’d kill you.”
Although officials denied that anyone had successfully escaped, it was reported that the roll count at the prison following the breakout was 2,000 lower than it was beforehand.
Makala, in the DRC capital Kinshasa, was built to hold 1,500 people but has recently held more than 13,500. Last month, before the breakout, it featured in Inside Time’s ‘World’s Worst Prisons’ column, where we reported that 500 prisoners had died there last year due to lack of food and medicine.
Almost all prisoners at Makala are unconvicted, awaiting trial, and we reported that the DRC government had promised conditional release to 7,000 prisoners to ease overcrowding. To improve conditions for those still inside, we reported, the DCR’s justice minister Constant Matumba had delivered 2,000 mattresses to the jail and ordered 7,000 more.
In the wake of the fatal breakout, Mr Matumba blamed magistrates for contributing to the situation by jailing too many people. He said: “It’s an act of sabotage, not an escape. Every time I’ve decongested the prison, the magistrates have sent double the number of inmates. Since I started releasing prisoners, how many inmates have been sent here again? That’s when we’ll find out where this sabotage started. So, we’re going to take serious action.”
Brit flees Portuguese jail
A British prisoner was among five men who escaped from a jail in Portugal last month, scaling a perimeter wall using a ladder and rope with help from accomplices outside.
CCTV captured the moment of their escape from Vale de Judeus prison, 40 miles north of the capital Lisbon, at around 10am on 7 September. Staff did not notice their absence until 40 minutes later when men were returning to their cells.
Frederico Morais, president of Portugal’s National Union of Prison Guards, was reported on Sky News saying: “They managed to jump a net because there are no guards to watch the perimeter … put up the ladder against the wall and, from there, with handmade rope, they climbed over the wall.”
The 39-year-old Briton is serving nine years for kidnap and robbery committed in Portugal. A week after the escape, he and the other four men – two Portuguese, an Argentinian and a Georgian – were all still on the run.
Luis Neves, the national director of the Judicial Police, warned that four of the five – including the Briton – were “very dangerous”, adding: “Human life may be at stake here.”
That’s a long roll call
There are 10.5 million men, 700,000 women and 200,000 children in prison around the world, according to the Global Prison Trends 2024 report published last month by Penal Reform International. One-third of those locked up are still awaiting trial.
Cows are on the menu
A transgender celebrity and social media star who served a short stint in a Nigerian jail has described how she had “giant cows” delivered to help feed her fellow inmates.
Idris Okuneye, who is known as Bobrisky and has 5 million followers on Instagram, was handed a six-month sentence in April for the unusual crime of ‘abusing banknotes’. Released in August, she took to social media to tell her fans about her generosity in a maximum-security men’s prison.
She said: “I will always be proud of myself. I fed over 2,500 people in Kirikiri maximum security prison. The situation when I met them was heartbreaking. I ordered 5 giant cows, 10 bags of rice, 5 full baskets of tomatoes so I could feed them, and I also gave them money.”
The offence she was jailed for involved ‘spraying’ banknotes, meaning she threw them in the air as a form of celebration at social events including a film premier. Although ‘spraying’ is a common custom in Nigeria, particularly at weddings, it is technically illegal because the banknotes fall to the ground where they may be trodden on.
Gay sex is illegal in Nigeria. Bobrisky has said in the past that she is not gay, but a man who cross-dresses to attract attention.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
