The african commission on human and peoples' rights and the promotion and protection of prisoners, rights an analysis
Abstract
There is an estimated one million prisoners in Africa and most of them are detained in
overcrowded prisons and conditions that well below internationally accepted standards.'These
prisons hold both sentenced prisoners and persons awaiting trial. What happens in prisons is
usually unknown to the outside world leading to vulnerability of prisoners. For this reason,
prisoners require specific recognition and protection. It is trite to say that how a society treats
its prisoners, reveals a lot about its moral values, its commitment to the rule of law and
democracy.'