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Vienna, Austria (PANA) - Prisons have become a fragile link in many criminal justice systems, weakened by over-incarceration, overcrowding, poor conditions and chronic neglect – fuelling calls for urgent reform. A decade ago, the UN General Assembly adopted the Nelson Mandela Rules — a set of 122 guidelines setting minimum standards [...]
©- - 15 june 2025 - 05:35:22 - thread Society (403 words)


Cotonou, Benin (PANA) - Prisoners in Benin were subjected to filthy, overcrowded cells and denied clean water and medical treatment last year. According to information gathered from health and prison workers, several dozen prisoners died during a seven-month period last year, Amnesty International said in a report on Thursday.Amnesty International called [...]
©- - 01 august 2024 - 08:29:15 - thread Society (936 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libya's Minister of Labour and Rehabilitation and Acting Minister of the Civil Service, Ali al-Abed, on Tuesday discussed with the Head of the Judicial Police, Sabri Mohamed Hadiya, the establishment of training and rehabilitation centres for prisoners and detainees. This was at a meeting devoted to discussing [...]
©- - 20 march 2024 - 16:00:31 - thread Society (130 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Minister of Justice in the Government of National Unity, Halima Ibrahim Abderrahman, has urged the head of the main reform and rehabilitation institution (prison) in Tripoli and its employees to fully comply with legal controls and circulars issued in this regard by the Ministry. They [...]
©- - 15 april 2023 - 14:43:40 - thread Society (371 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA)  - The Deputy Interior Minister for General Affairs of the National Unity Government, Major General Mahmoud Saied, during a visit to Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday discussed with Turk,sh authorities the case of two Libyan detainees and problems faced by Libyan students and community in Turkey. These issues were discussed [...]
©- - 08 december 2022 - 15:24:00 - thread Society (289 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has expressed deep concern at "alarming" reports that more than 70 detainees in Maitigua Central Prison, an eastern suburb of Tripoli, are on hunger strike. "The detainees have been on strike since October to protest against the prolonged arbitrary [...]
©- - 17 november 2022 - 12:48:13 - thread Society (212 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A Libyan delegation has inspected conditions under which its prisoners in Algeria are detained, a statement issued Tuesday by the Libyan Foreign Ministry said.  The visit of the Permanent Commission of Libyan Prisoners Abroad is part of the Foreign Ministry's follow-up of the Libyan prisoners' file abroad. The statement said [...]
©- - 15 february 2022 - 16:55:17 - thread Society (212 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Manfi, on Tuesday met with the First Deputy Prime Minister, Hussein al-Gatrani, and the Minister of Justice, Halima Ibrahim al-Boussifi, to dscuss the conditions of detainees and the rights of prisoners. The meeting discussed how to work to resolve [...]
©- - 09 february 2022 - 13:12:45 - thread Society (213 words)


Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Gambian President Adama Barrow, on Friday pardoned 21 prisoners in exercise of his powers of prerogative of mercy vested upon him by the constitution. The pardon follows the recommendations by the Prerogative of Mercy Committee. Among those pardoned are 16 Gambians, one of them a female, three Senegalese [...]
©- - 31 december 2021 - 16:22:39 - thread Society (142 words)


Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Burkina Faso's President, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, on Wednesday granted a remission of sentences to 874 prisoners, 313 of whom were granted outright pardon and 561 with partial remission of sentences ranging from 3 to 12 months, the government spokesman, Alkassoum Maiga, announced at the [...]
©- - 29 december 2021 - 17:46:52 - thread Society (163 words)


Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – Former South African President Jacob Zuma is urging ordinary compatriots to dig into their pockets to help fund his many legal battles. The Jacob Zuma Foundation which represented him on Tuesday “humbly” called for donations to be made into its Capitec Bank account. Zuma, who is [...]
©- - 24 august 2021 - 15:53:25 - thread Society (176 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A total of 84 former fighters of the Islamic State (Daech) who were detained in Libya, have been deported with their families to Niger, the Ministry of Justice has announced. It said the the former fighters were released from penitentiary institutions of Ain Zara and the local [...]
©- - 14 august 2021 - 12:05:32 - thread Society (350 words)


New York, US (PANA) - One in three prisoners around the world is being held without having stood trial or been found guilty by any court, according to a new study published on Friday by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).  Released ahead of Nelson Mandela International Day, celebrating perhaps the best known political prisoner of all time, the first global research data on prisons released by [...]
©- - 17 july 2021 - 07:07:38 - thread Society (469 words)


Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Five people were injured on Tuesday during an attempted escape in a prison in Ouagadougou, in the capital of Burkina Faso. Four convicted prisoners tried to escape by climbing the wall of the prison at about around 15:00 GMT, causing the firing of warning shots, the [...]
©- - 05 may 2021 - 10:01:17 - thread Society (90 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has welcomed the exchange of 35 prisoners between forces of the government of national accord (GNA) and the Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar, in the framework of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC). It was the [...]
©- - 07 january 2021 - 15:55:20 - thread Society (207 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Saturday welcomed the exchange of detainees between the Government of National Accord and forces of Marshal Khalifa Haftar under the supervision of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission. It said the operation took place "with the good offices of the [...]
©- - 26 december 2020 - 10:22:31 - thread Society (322 words)


Cotonou, Benin (PANA) - Governors of the civil prisons of Akpro-Missérété, about 40 km from the capital, have been arrested following the escape late October of two inmates from Akpro-Missérété prison, a high-security prison, judicial sources reported here Sunday. In addition to the two officials, who were suspended only a few [...]
©- - 22 november 2020 - 11:13:26 - thread Society (133 words)


Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) -   The trial of former Rwandan presidential guard commander, Col. Tovm Byabagamba, who is facing a new charge of phone theft, resumed Thursday in a virtual hearing with the defence team seeking their client to be judged by a military instead of a civilian court. Byabagamba, who was [...]
©- - 22 october 2020 - 15:18:51 - thread Society (276 words)


Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - As senior UN officials spread the alarm over the rapid spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) through prisons – where physical distancing is nigh on impossible, and hygiene is often inadequate – UN Corrections, Justice and Human Rights teams are working to protect prison staff and detainees from [...]
©- - 06 may 2020 - 06:42:59 - thread Society (979 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA)  - Some 401 detainees in the prison of Sorman (West), including 384 men and nine women, escaped Monday during a mutineer that broke out during the liberation of the city and its recapture by the army loyal to the government of national accord (GNA), the Libyan ministry [...]
©- - 15 april 2020 - 21:55:07 - thread Society (282 words)


Paris, France (PANA) - Mahamat Nouri, president of the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD), a Chadian politico-military movement opposed to President Deby detained since June in France, was released on Friday , his organisation said in a statement.   General Mahamat Nouri was indicted in June 2019 by French [...]
©- - 28 march 2020 - 18:01:12 - thread Society (247 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A total of 82 detainees in the new penitentiary and rehabilitation centre at Tripoli central prison have been released, the city's chief of police, Col.-Major Abdelghani al-Harati announced on Thursday.   This brings the number of detainees released to 152 as part of the strategy to relieve congestion [...]
©- - 26 march 2020 - 13:40:30 - thread Society (208 words)


Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) – Mauritius has agreed to sign the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on the Inter-State Transfer of prisoners, official sources told PANA Friday in the Mauritian capital, following the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers. In a communique, the Government said the Protocol on the prisoner [...]
©- - 28 february 2020 - 16:44:53 - thread Society (119 words)


Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – The man responsible for nearly sparking a full-blown race war ahead of South Africa’s historic first democratic elections in 1994 by killing a high profile politician has denied allegations that he is campaigning with right-wingers to cause further instability. Janusz Walus, who killed former Communist [...]
©- - 23 december 2019 - 08:46:58 - thread Society (281 words)


Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) – Global human rights group, Amnesty International, on Wednesday categorised three Nigerians as prisoners of conscience, declaring that their continued incarceration are politically motivated and demanded their immediate release. The three journalists and human rights activists, Omoyele Sowore, Olawale Bakare and Agba Jalingo, have been facing charges of [...]
©- - 20 november 2019 - 19:27:37 - thread Society (499 words)


Bamako, Mali (PANA) - A total of 460 young Malians, imprisoned in Guinea in the "so-called QNET" case, have just returned home on buses chartered by the Ministry of Malians Abroad, PANA learned on Thursday at the High Council for Malians Living Abroad (HCME). The HCME explained that from 1 to [...]
©- - 14 november 2019 - 17:39:01 - thread Society (371 words)


Melrose, Mauritius (PANA) – Mauritius Prison Service and SME Mauritius Ltd on Thursday launched a business plan for inmates, in line with the Social Entrepreneurship Programme, to equip them with the knowledge and know-how to set up their own businesses on completion of their sentences.   At Eastern High Security Prison in [...]
©- - 19 september 2019 - 13:43:29 - thread Society (239 words)


Port Louis Maurice (PANA) - About 144 detainees received a month's reduction from their sentences from the 1,300 names submitted to the acting president, Barlene Vyapoury. The incident followed the visit, this Monday, to Mauritius of Pope Francis, reports the local press. According to the media, only those who showed good behavior [...]
©- - 09 september 2019 - 17:06:51 - thread Society (85 words)


Dakar, Senegal (PANA)  -  Senegalese minister of Justice Malick Sall on Friday announced the possibility to introduce shortly the wearing of electronic bracelet into the judicial system, saying this will need a revision of the criminal code. “We are working on the possibility to establish electronic bracelets (for provisional detainees). We [...]
©- - 30 august 2019 - 22:45:33 - thread Society (285 words)


Rabat, Morocco (PANA) - Morocco King Mohammed VI granted pardon to 4,764 people, some in prison and others on bail on the occasion of the Throne Day celebrated on Tuesday in Morocco. Between them 1,916 inmates benefited from pardon over their remaining prison terms and 2,477 prisoners, who had their prison [...]
©- - 30 july 2019 - 09:30:01 - thread Society (204 words)


Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli has ordered an audit of all prisons across the country to determine inmates who were wrongly put behind bars for their possible release. Dr Magufuli’s order follows his recent impromptu visit to the maximum security prison of Butimba in the [...]
©- - 19 july 2019 - 13:46:53 - thread Society (321 words)


Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - The association, "Solidarity with prisoners and their families" (SPF, independent), on Wednesday appealed to the Burundi government to stop the arbitrary imprisonment in country, on the eve of the "Nelson Mandela International Day".   Celebrated on July 18, the Nelson Mandela International Day celebrates the work for the [...]
©- - 17 july 2019 - 15:51:32 - thread Society (659 words)


Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - In a rare gesture by a sitting president,  Dr John Pombe Magufuli, on Tuesday visited inmates at the Tanzanian maximum security prison of Butimba in the north-western city of Mwanza to listen to their grievances.   During the visit, broadcast live on national television, the Tanzanian [...]
©- - 16 july 2019 - 19:13:34 - thread Society (255 words)


Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) – The Sudanese military Council on Wednesday issued a decree ordering the release of over 230 prisoners of war (POWs) affiliated to the Darfur rebel Sudan Liberation Army/Movement.   Lieutenant General Abdul Fatah Al-Burhan issued the decree in consultation with the Ministry of Justice and also to show a [...]
©- - 03 july 2019 - 18:12:13 - thread Society (411 words)


Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) -  Rwandan President Paul Kagame has granted amnesty to 788 prisoners jailed for various crimes, according to a resolution passed at the Cabinet meeting chaired by the president. No further explanation was given about this unconditional amnesty announced in a statement obtained by PANA in Kigali on Saturday. The [...]
©- - 08 june 2019 - 18:31:37 - thread Society (124 words)


Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) -  At least 47 prison warders in Rwanda have been sacked for misconduct in the course of their duty, according to a statement issued after the Rwanda Cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame. The statement, made available to PANA in Kigali on Saturday said that all sacked [...]
©- - 08 june 2019 - 15:02:37 - thread Society (173 words)


Lome, Togo (PANA) - Togolese authorities have said they have blocked an attempted jail break in Tsévié prison, a town some 35 km north of Lome, official sources told PANA on Tuesday in the Togolese capital.   According to reports received by PANA in Lomé, on Monday morning, detainees broke down doors [...]
©- - 04 june 2019 - 18:18:45 - thread Society (217 words)


Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - The "first group" of 20 Rwandese nationals, currently detained "arbritrary" by Uganda's Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence(CMI), was released Friday with one of Rwandan senior Government officials wondering why too many of his compatriots are still languishing in isolation, and incommunicado detention in neighboring country. The reaction by [...]
©- - 01 march 2019 - 19:54:19 - thread Society (337 words)


Port Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Mauritian prison authorities have stopped providing detainees with cigarettes as of this weekend to encourage them to quit, officials sources said in the Mauritian capital on Monday. According to Prison Commissioner Vinod Appadoo, the detainees initially received a pack of 10 cigarettes a week. Subsequently they [...]
©- - 04 february 2019 - 17:02:38 - thread Society (191 words)


Libya (PANA) - The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has begun a preliminary investigation into allegations of massive violations human rights abuses in a detention centre at Maitigua, ran by the Special Deterrent Force, an armed group under the supervision of the Libyan Ministry of [...]
©- - 22 january 2019 - 11:52:11 - thread Society (230 words)


Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - For passing this year's national college entrance examination, the Rwandan President Paul Kagame, has pardoned 16 youth, aged under 18, according to an official source in Kigali The group of 16 inmates who were incarcerated in juvenile jail, located at Nyagatare in Northeastern Rwanda, were released [...]
©- - 17 january 2019 - 19:29:06 - thread Society (191 words)


Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) – Twenty inmates at Chinzombo Correctional Facility in Mambwe District, eastern Zambia, have escaped from lawful custody through an air vent. The Zambia News and Information Service on Wednesday quoted the Eastern Province Police Commissioner, Lackson Sakala, as saying that 12 were convicts, while eight were awaiting [...]
©- - 02 january 2019 - 07:25:14 - thread Society (148 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Eighteen senior judges, prosecutors and judicial police officers from all regions of Libya have participated in a two-day seminar on improving conditions in Libyan prisons. Organized by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), the seminar held on 5 and 6 December provided participants with a [...]
©- - 07 december 2018 - 20:19:02 - thread Society (242 words)


Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - Rwanda's national college entrance exam kicked off on Thursday at a juvenile prison located in Nyagatare district in northeastern Rwanda, with six under age inmates registered examinees this year. Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) said it hosts 373 young offenders who are aged between 12 and 18 [...]
©- - 22 november 2018 - 17:45:57 - thread Society (136 words)


Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) – Nigeria's Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday ratified a prisoners’ swap deal for the repatriation of Nigerian prisoners in China to serve out their jail terms back home. Nigerian Minister of Justice and Attorney-General Abubakar Malami announced the deal after the FEC meeting in Abuja, presided over [...]
©- - 01 august 2018 - 18:33:15 - thread Society (193 words)


Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - Rwandan law enforcement officers are searching for three prisoners, including a former journalist and director of a religious local radio station, Cassien Ntamuhanga, who escaped early this week from one of the high-security prisons in Mpanga, Southern Rwanda, authoritative sources confirmed Wednesday in Kigali. The sources said [...]
©- - 01 november 2017 - 13:13:39 - thread Society (249 words)


Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - A total of 125 prisoners of war (POWs) have been released by a rebel group, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement - North (SPLM-N) following negotiations and mediation by the International Committee of the Red Cross, Sudan's ministry of foreign affairs, the intelligence service and other Sudanese personalities, [...]
©- - 05 march 2017 - 20:25:02 - thread Society (167 words)


New York, US (PANA) - The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has unveiled a new manual that offers practical advice on managing violent extremist prisoners, disengaging them from violence and facilitating their social reintegration upon release. It noted that the new manual was launched to address violent extremism [...]
©- - 17 january 2017 - 05:46:49 - thread Society (348 words)


Tripoli, Libya (PANA) – Libya's judicial police department has asked the Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord to allocate more funds in its budget to facilitate protection of 8,000 inmates kept in the country's 32 prisons. "The number of prisoners in Libya has exceeded 8,000 all together in the [...]
©- - 29 december 2016 - 17:02:25 - thread Society (153 words)


Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – Ananias Mathe, South Africa’s most notorious prisoner, died at Durban’s King Edward VII Hospital on Tuesday. Prison authorities confirmed that the convicted rapist‚ murderer and house robber was suffering from a stomach complaint for the past three months. He had undergone surgery at the [...]
©- - 28 december 2016 - 06:44:40 - thread Society (191 words)

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