The Democratic Republic of Congo has released 527 inmates from the country’s biggest facility, the Makala Central Prison in the capital Kinshasa.
The event which took place on Saturday saw the country’s Justice Minister Constant Mutamba deliver 2,000 mattresses to the inmates out of a total of 7,000 ordered, aiming to improve their detention conditions.
“A state governed by the rule of law means that everyone must be subject to the law. Your place is in your home where you will spend the night tonight. You must return to your homes. In this regard, I inform you that next Saturday, we will continue with the release of some prisoners who have been unjustly detained,” local media quoted her as saying.
In July, the Congo’s government had stated that at least 7,000 inmates were to be granted conditional release from the Makala Central Prison in a bid to ease overcrowding at the facility.
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Located in Kinshasa, it is the country’s largest jail, built for 1,500 inmates in 1957, but now holding more than 15,000 people, including children and women.
Conditions are notoriously bad at the prison with inmates crammed into cells, eating poorly, and some suffering from water and respiratory diseases.
