Chad inquiry finds 44 prisoners died in hot, overcrowded cell
A group of 44 prisoners died in one night in a prison in Chad because they were all kept in the same cell in 46C heat, an investigation has concluded.
Prosecutors had suggested that the group were suspected Boko Haram militants and had taken poison to kill themselves.
But the National Human Rights Commission said they were civilians.
Their report described a dangerously overcrowded cell, scorching heat, thirst and hunger.
Chad's Justice Minister Djimet Arabi told AFP he had taken note of the Commission's report and that an inquiry had been launched to determine who was responsible for the deaths.
Who are Boko Haram?
The 44 prisoners were found dead in their cell on the outskirts of the capital N'Djamena on the morning of 15 April.
Prosecutors said at the time that the men were part of a group of 58 suspects captured during a major army operation against the Islamist militants Boko Haram around Lake Chad.
The public prosecutor said 40 of the prisoners were buried and four were taken to a pathologist who found traces of poison.
Mr Arabi had also suggested that it could have been a case of collective suicide and denied they had been ill-treated.
'Prisoners' pleas for help ignored'
The independent commission's report tells a very different story.
Firstly, it disputes they were militants, instead saying they were farmers and villagers who were arbitrarily arrested.
It also points out that the army operation against Boko Haram - which ran between 23 March and 8 April - was already over when the suspects were picked up.
It then described the overcrowded, scorching conditions in the cell, where survivors say the only food they were given were a few dates, not enough to go around the group.
The 14 survivors told the commission that, in the heat, some started falling to the ground, while others called out to the guards for help but were ignored.
"The jailers did not deign to give assistance to anyone in danger in these conditions despite cries of distress and prayers recited all night," the report said, according to AFP.
The military offensive against Boko Haram militants was launched after 98 Chadian soldiers were killed on 23 March at their base on the banks of Lake Chad.
The army said they killed more than 1,000 militants in its eight-day operation to flush out militants from hideouts on the islands in the lake.
On Saturday Chad's President Idriss Deby insisted that there are now no Boko Haram fighters left in Chad.
But he went on to say that he is expecting a long fight against the jihadists because of anticipated cross-border raids from Nigeria and Niger.
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quote:But the National Human Rights Commission said they were civilians.
Bij mij is het 32 graden, maar ik snap je punt.quote:Op zondag 9 augustus 2020 18:43 schreef Nikonlover het volgende:
En dan zitten we hier te klagen dat het 30.graden is in huis
Wat zijn de andere vier?quote:Op zondag 9 augustus 2020 21:16 schreef Discombobulate het volgende:
Tsjaad is ook echt zo'n pauperland. Echt top 5 van meest kutte landen in de wereld.
Belgiëquote:
Geen dank, opgelost, slotje
Laos.quote:Op zondag 9 augustus 2020 21:29 schreef thabit het volgende:
Tsjaad... Zijn er eigenlijk nog meer landen die uit 1 lettergreep bestaan?
Edit: nu twijfel ik. In het engels iig wel.
Nederland zal daar inmiddels ook wel bijzitten. Toch?quote:
Noord Korea, Somalie, Eritrea, Afghanistan.quote:
Ik noemde maar willekeuig een getal, maar Zuid Soedan en Congo kunnen er wel bij.quote:
Een darkroom op de reguliersdwars lijkt me ook geen pretje maar inderdaad, dat dan nog wel liever...quote:
Lijken me weinig plekken op aarde kloteriger om te zijn dan in een gevangenis in Tsjaad
Het Tsjaadmeer is prima vertoeven, ben er meerdere keren geweest via Sunweb. Daarna nog een citytrip eraan vastgeplakt in het pittoreske N'Djamena. Lekkere croissants, volgens mij is dat nog de Franse invloed.quote:
Tsjaad is ook echt zo'n pauperland. Echt top 5 van meest kutte landen in de wereld.
Terroristen doden zichzelf met gif, maar het zijn arme gevangenen die bezweken onder de hitte?quote:Prosecutors had suggested that the group were suspected Boko Haram militants and had taken poison to kill themselves.
Jij kijkt zeker vaak naar Pointless?quote:Op zondag 9 augustus 2020 21:32 schreef Eyjafjallajoekull het volgende:
[..]
Laos.
Edit: nu twijfel ik. In het engels iig wel.
Echt geen idee wat dat is? Iets op TV? Of is dit een grap die ik niet snap :pquote:Op maandag 10 augustus 2020 08:36 schreef thabit het volgende:
[..]
Jij kijkt zeker vaak naar Pointless?