MPs raise concern over elderly inmates

Mental illness and inmates above 70 years of age are common cases in the country’s correctional centres, Members of Parliament’s Committee on Unity, Human Rights and Fight against Genocide said. The lawmakers said this on Monday during a countrywide tour to assess the implementation of the 2015 reports of the National Commission for Human Rights, and the National Commission for the Fight against the Genocide (CNLG). The tour, that started on January 28 will run through February 4, and will cover police stations, transit centres, and prisons. MPs François Byabarumwanzi, the committee’s president, Iphigénie Mukandera and Chantal Kabasinga visited Huye Prison and Mpanga Prison in Nyanza District. Earlier, they had toured Rusizi and Nyamagabe districts. Another team is touring other districts. Byabarumwanzi said the team that visited Huye and Mpanga prisons found many cases of people in advanced age, which poses a challenge to prison authorities and the government since such people have special needs. “They are vulnerable and sickly,” he said. Superintendent Camille Zuba, the Director of Huye Prison, acknowledged that elderly inmates constitute a challenge partly because of their feeding needs. They need special care and diet such as Sosoma supplements because their health status does not allow consumption of ordinary meals that prisoners take, he said. There are 945 elderly prisoners in Huye Prison where 400 are aged above 70 years. Meanwhile, inmates at Huye Prison expressed concern over the growing cases of mental illness. MP Byabarumwanzi said mental diseases and depression are a common issue in prisons. There was a proposal to avail a psychologist to help prisoners with mental complications. Prisoners also expressed concerns over delays in revisiting Genocide related cases, which were tried by the Gacaca courts. The MPs explained that some cases have not been revisited because of lack of substance. But Mukandera urged the prisoners and prison authorities to consider the merits on case by case basis before handing it to the Office of the Ombudsman for revision. Inmates also raised concerns over pension benefits which some incarnated former public servants should get. Byabarumwanzi said the issue was referred to the Rwanda Social Security Board and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for consideration. Meanwhile, the MPs commended prisons authorities for reducing congestion in cells. Huye prison has 9,121 inmates, of whom 6,604 cases are related to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.Superintendent Zuba said the number of inmates who need beds is less than 2,000. He said, ‘‘Congestion problem would be fully addressed with an extended structure expected to accommodate 9,500 inmates.’’ “There are buildings with a capacity of 2,000 people which will be inaugurated soon. The problem could, therefore, be solved within one month,” he noted. Byabarumwanzi said correctional centres should have storey-buildings to address congestion. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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MPs raise concern over elderly inmates