Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Justice Minister, Alexis Mwamba, said government would release more than 1,200 prisoners this month to reduce overcrowding in its jails.
He said in (Congo Kinshasa) that the measure would only concern inmates who have served a quarter of their sentences and have behaved well.
DRC President Joseph Kabila has earlier granted amnesty to inmates aged 70 years or older on Dec. 31, but no figures were provided on how many people this affects.
Mwamba, however, cautioned that the measure was not expected to affect prisoners serving time for serious crimes.
“Those released will be observed for a good amount of time,” the minister said, adding that those who reoffend would be sent back to jail.
“Those released will be observed for a good amount of time,” the minister said, adding that those who reoffend would be sent back to jail.
Roger Logo, Human Rights Activist, noted that the UN statistics dated from 2005 showed that Congo has not less than 6,800 inmates in 33 prisons.
He said some penitentiaries house four times the number of inmates for which they were originally designed.
He said some penitentiaries house four times the number of inmates for which they were originally designed.
Logo noted that many inmates spend two years in prison before going on trial.
There are innocent people living in “subhuman conditions” in Congolese prisons.
There are innocent people living in “subhuman conditions” in Congolese prisons.
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