• Sheet of paper Report

Chad: ‘We Are All Dying Here’ — Human Rights Violations in Prisons

Prison conditions in Chad are so deplorable that they amount to cruel,inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. Cells are severely overcrowded, and food and drinking water are inadequate and sometimes not available. Prisoners are dependent on family and friends to supplement their diet and provide other necessities, which means that those with no such support, or held in a prison far from their home, go without. Children, including young girls, are detained together with adults. Most prisoners are held in pre-trial detention, some for years.

Health care and medical services do not exist in the majority of prisons in Chad. Amnesty International delegates found that in several prisons they visited, many prisoners required medical care and were suffering from skin diseases and rashes, for which no treatment was provided. Those suffering from serious transmissible diseases such as tuberculosis, or sexually transmitted infections and HIV, are particularly at risk. Riots due to the appalling conditions are common and have resulted in prisoners being shot dead by guards. Resources allocated to the prisons are limited and undermined by bribery and corruption.

This report is based on prison visits, interviews and other research carried out by Amnesty International in November 2011 and March 2012. It documents the conditions in Chad’s prisons and exposes human rights violations committed inside them. The report calls on the government, with the assistance of the international community where necessary, to put in place urgent measures to reform the prison system.