Go on hunger strike, prisoners told over lockdown conditions

Delayed justice and dangerous levels of overcrowding were denying the rights and risking the lives of thousands of sentenced and awaiting trial prisoners.

This is according to the SA Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights (Sapohr), which is urging prisoners to go on a hunger strike next week to protest the deteriorating conditions they faced in the time of Covid-19.

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola recently said 51% of detainees had yet to stand trial this year. They include the Thulsie twins, who recently lost another bid to get bail after over three years awaiting trial on terrorism charges.

According to the Detention Justice Forum, the instructions given to the public in order to stave off the virus – including washing hands frequently and social distancing – were practically impossible for prisoners.

Not only were most prisons overcrowded, but many lacked sufficient running water and hygiene. Compounding these risk factors were the high number of prisoners with HIV and those coming with poor healthcare histories.

“They should have revolted and gone on a hunger strike a long time ago,” Sapohr leader Golden Miles Bhudu said of the tens of thousand of awaiting trial prisoners who are at risk of dying in jail without ever seeing a trial date.

“People on the inside are telling me there are no masks, no sanitisers. Some of them don’t even have soap. What is worse is that two weeks before the lockdown in March, prisons were closed to visitors, which means people have not been able to connect with the outside for up to three months.”

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