Urgent Action Needed to Address Human Rights Violations in Central African Republic Detention Facilities, UN Report Reveals

Source: Press releases Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (PIC COURTESY © OHCHR)

GENEVA/BANGUI (18 July 2024) – The Central African Republic (CAR) urgently needs to take concrete actions to uphold human rights in detention facilities, where issues like torture, ill-treatment, unlawful arrests, malnutrition, and inadequate healthcare prevail, according to a new UN report. The report, by the UN Human Rights Office and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), highlights that thousands are detained in overcrowded facilities with limited access to essential resources like food, water, sanitation, and healthcare.

“The findings of this report are alarming and necessitate immediate and concrete actions from national authorities,” stated UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk. He emphasized that ongoing penitentiary reforms present a significant opportunity for the Central African Republic to rectify these human rights violations. Covering the period from January to December 2023, the report, which was shared with the Government for feedback, lists several deficiencies, including non-compliance with legal time limits for police custody, excessive pre-trial detention, and substandard detention conditions. It also notes some progress made by the authorities.

The report reveals a troubling pattern of illegal and arbitrary arrests and detentions by CAR’s army and security forces, with over 1,500 individuals subjected to such practices in 2023. Additionally, by the end of the year, 1,749 detainees were awaiting trial, some for nearly six years, often without adequate consideration of the necessity and proportionality of their detention. Malnutrition, inadequate healthcare, and poor hygiene in prisons have caused disease outbreaks, the report states, urging the allocation of sufficient resources to meet detainees’ essential needs. The report also calls for strict adherence to legal time limits for detention and emphasizes that pre-trial detention should be an exception, justified by necessity, and proportionate to the alleged offence.

Türk urged the authorities to conduct prompt and independent investigations into all torture and ill-treatment cases, holding perpetrators accountable. He called on international partners to support the Government in improving detention conditions. The High Commissioner and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSCA, Valentine Rugwabiza, acknowledged the Government’s efforts to address detention-related human rights issues. These efforts include holding more frequent criminal court sessions, renovating and reopening three prisons in 2023, and hiring additional penitentiary staff. They pledged ongoing UN support to the Government in enhancing respect for human rights and the rule of law in the CAR, particularly in detention facilities.