Milima prisoners bemoan bad conditions

MORE than 500 inmates at Milima State Prison are living in lice infested quarters made worse by congestion.
Poor hygiene by some of the inmates and broken down sanitary facilities have made the situation worse.
Prison authorities and inmates also complained about the shortage of blankets and prisoner uniforms.
The prisoners also complained of congestion a situation prison officer-in-charge David Phiri confirmed.
The prison as at Monday morning had 513 inmates which was double its capacity.
The prisoners revealed this when Human Rights Commission (HRC) commissioners, Arnold Kapelembi and Bishop Mibenge visited the prison to mark the start of the inspection of detention facilities in Muchinga and Northern provinces.
The prisoners said blankets were in short supply with each piece of bedding shared between two or more prisoners.
While warders were praised for their impartiality when executing their duties, inmates complained about abuse from fellow convicts some of whom had gardens within the prison perimeters and forced weaker inmates to work for them.
Mr Kapelembi assured the prisoners that Government and HRC would look into their concerns.
“We will include all the grievances we have heard here in the report that we will submit to Government,” he said.
He said incarceration did not mean the stripping of prisoner’s dignity and rights.
Foreigners jailed at the prison for various offences also complained against torture and discrimination at the hands of fellow prisoners.
The officer-in-charge of the prison however, said the prison had enough food rations for the next quarter of the year and each inmate had at least three meals every day.