Geneva, Following its second evaluation, the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) has voiced significant concern regarding Gabon’s minimal advancement in ameliorating the dire conditions of detention centers and prisons, along with addressing the widespread issue of overcrowding and the impunity of those guilty of torture and ill-treatment.

According to Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the SPT, after their visit from March 10 to 16, underscored the urgent need for Gabon to rectify the severe and inhumane conditions prevalent in its detention facilities. Abdallah Ounnir, leading the delegation, pinpointed the routine use of pre-trial detention and its prolonged nature as the primary reasons for overcrowding, severely infringing on the rights of those presumed innocent. The Subcommittee’s visit, which included unannounced inspections of 18 sites of deprivation of liberty such as prisons, police stations, and a psychiatric establishment, involved confidential discussions with detainees, law enforcement officials, and medical staff.

During its stay, the delegation engaged with high-ranking officials, including the President of the Senate and the Minister of Justice, and representatives from the judiciary, the Bar Association, the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), civil society, and United Nations agencies. A positive development noted by the SPT was the forthcoming legislation aimed at reforming the CNDH to establish it as Gabon’s National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) against torture and ill-treatment. Ounnir commended this step and urged the Gabonese government to promptly institute this independent mechanism with adequate resources to fulfill its mandate effectively. The SPT expressed its readiness to offer guidance to both the government and the future NPM.

The visit will culminate in a confidential report by the Subcommittee to Gabon, detailing observations and recommendations on preventing torture, ill-treatment, and improving detention conditions. The SPT has encouraged Gabon to publicize this report, as it did with the prior one, to assist in the implementation of its recommendations and foster transparency in addressing human rights challenges within the country’s detention system.