TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
We would like to bring to your attention that human rights are being violated in Seychelles, especially at the Montagne Possee prison.
The judges are not working according to the constitution. Many persons are being remanded at the prison for over more than six months which is unconstitutional, pending trial which will only take place next year, without bail being granted although valid and constitutional points are raised by lawyers everyday.
The prison lacks proper ventilation and natural lighting. Windows are barred. There is no isolation or medical ward for the sick. Common viruses such as flu or fever are spread around the prison in no time at all. There are no exercise times and sun time is irregular. The access to National Media is very limited.
There is a great need for segregation between remandees and convicts, and this still remains a contentious issue. Remandees who are yet to be convicted by the Court of Law and therefore presumed innocent are currently serving time under prison regulations. There is no separate rules and regimes in Prison to differentiate between “Remandees” and “Convicted Prisoners”. We are all treated the same. This is unconstitutional. There are also regular conflicts between the two parties, convicts and remandees, which often breaks into fights away from the cameras. The prison is in a state of crisis as there are no proper hygienic facilities. Broken and unmaintained taps, showers and toilets are the order of the day. The bathroom floors are always wet and slippery. Numerous persons have injured themselves. There is no access to toilet during the night so remandees and convicts are currently using plastic drum which is very degrading and stinks.
Items such as nail-cutter and cotton buds are disallowed though required for basic hygienic purposes. Hair trimming is being done by smuggled razor blades, a dangerous practice by any standard. There is no access to hot water for bathing especially when the temperature drops. The remandees face unsafe transportation to and from the prison. We are handcuffed in the back of a truck with not much air circulation at the back of these panel vans - we have no way of holding to steady ourselves when the driver suddenly brakes or when turning a bend.
Some remandees have already been injured as a result of careless driving as the driver does not respect the speed limits while transporting remandees.
We strongly believe that all prison personnel should be educated on human rights issues and also be held responsible and accountable for any cause and form of abuse towards remandees and convicts which is a daily occurrence at the prison.
We thank you for understanding and we hope that serious actions are taken regarding our well-being.
Remandees
Freedom taken away at the pleasure of the President of the Republic
Dear Mr. Volcere,
We would like to bring to your attention that as from Monday 4th August 2008 some determined “remandees” at the Montagne Possee Prison are going on a hunger strike again because the prison superintendent Mr. Gelage Hoareau is not respecting his engagement for the betterment of the prison system.
We are still suffering from long periods of being remanded with no bail though lawyers raise valid points in court everyday, and this are unconstitutional.
Two days after our first hunger strike the superintendent rushed about and promised to address our concerns. We were blinded by these rosy promises and the little that was implemented such as getting to spend time outside in the sun. The amount of food started to increase and every morning two bread was given. Now things are back to the way it was before the strike. The food is getting worst by the day. We go out in the sun only when visitors are coming to the prison or when we complain too much. They have installed speakers in the prison on display for visitors and play only Paradise FM which you can hardly hear because the volume is turned deliberately very low. We were promised physical contact with our families during visits and everyone was looking forward to it, but this promise remains to be fulfilled.
We were promised better treatment from the wardens, but on Thursday 24th July 2008 a fellow inmate on remand was beaten almost to death by the superintendent Gelage Hoareau himself, C.I. Joachim Pillay, Inspector Malvina, Sgt. Daniel Florentine and Sgt. Jeannevol. Our friend was admitted to Anse Royale hospital then transfered to Victoria hospital that same night due to serious injuries he suffered in the head, on his body and even got a broken leg. We are all asking now how safe are we in this prison under the guidance of Mr. Gelage Hoareau?
On Monday 21st July 2008 at around 9.00 p.m. the new security forces M.P. invaded the prison armed with guns, ammunitions and dogs. They left at around 5.00 a.m. after stripping everyone naked. If you were sleeping by that time, you were waken up by force and could not resist being stripped.
The prison location itself is unsuitable - the temperature is cold and hazardous due to unavailability of proper facilities. There is always conflict between remandees and convicts. Serious cases of assault occurring and the superintendent tries to hide them from public. There is no permanent Medical Officer as per constitutional requirement. A person has already died (Guyto Louis Marie) due to unavailability of medical care.
The undignified searches and inhumane destruction of food items carried by remandees should cease immediately. This time we won’t be fooled by empty promises instead we will carry on with our strike until serious action is taken regarding our well being. Despite our request to see officials from the Internal Affairs department, responsible for the prison, nothing was done and no one has attended to us. We are also very disappointed because the national media (SBC) paid no attention to us even though we send them a copy of our letter, SBC is truly an instrument of State here to hide problems not to help solve them.
We are forever thankful to Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly newspaper for giving an ear to our problem and circulating our letter for the whole world to know what is really happening behind the curtains of the beautiful image. It gives us strength knowing we are not alone in our daily struggle to provide a dignify existence for people behind bars. We appreciate the fact that we need to pay a price for our mistakes, however we are only demanding what the Constitution and the laws of Seychelles makes provision for – when our freedom, wrongly or rightly, is taken away at the pleasure of the President of the Republic