Togo's prisons will reopen to the public from Friday for visits to inmates, after two years of closure due to Covid-19, announced Justice Minister Pius Kokouvi Agbétomey.
Prisoners in this small West African country have been deprived of visitation rights since April 13, 2020, when authorities banned all visits to "protect them from the risk of contamination from outside" .
"In light of the easing of restrictive measures related to this (coronavirus) pandemic, the Minister of Justice has authorized the gradual lifting of this suspension," Kokouvi Agbétomey emphasized . "Thus, visits from relatives, friends, and civil society organizations to detainees are once again permitted, starting Friday, April 22, 2022 ," he continued.
Visitors will be allowed provided they present "a vaccination pass or an authentic PCR test dated less than 72 hours" with the "mandatory wearing of a protective mask" , the minister's statement specifies.
Prison system
In Togo , as in many African countries, visits are almost vital for prisoners because they allow relatives to bring them food, clothes and medicine, the prison system being generally underfunded.
For many Togolese, the ban on visits to prisoners was disproportionate given the health situation. Togo, which detected its first case of Covid-19 in early March 2020, has recorded a total of 36,969 cases, including 273 deaths , according to official figures published on Tuesday.
In recent months, opposition political parties and civil society organizations have repeatedly called for prisons to be reopened to the public for visits to inmates. In addition to families, NGOs and associations providing assistance to inmates were barred from visiting.
Only lawyers had access to the detainees, but they had to obtain prior authorization. "The ban on visits to detainees is a violation of their rights. This new decision by the minister is a relief," Pastor Edoh Komi , president of the Martin Luther King Movement (MMLK), a civil society organization very active in Togo, told AFP .
The detainees have endured an ordeal during these two years, deprived of their loved ones. In short, this is a good and long-awaited measure that will give a boost to the procedures ,” rejoiced Me Elom Kpadé , lawyer for several prisoners.
