By Kebba Ansu Manneh
Honourable Madi Ceesay, Chairman of the National Assembly Select Committee on Human Rights and Constitutional Matters has expressed shock and disappointment in the bad condition of the detention facility at the Farafenni Police Station. He said the facility is not fit for the detention of human beings.
He made this remark in an exclusive interview with The Voice Newspaper, as he disclosed that his committee is currently on a six days tour of the country to assess the situation of detention centers and facilities.
According to him, National Assembly Select Committee on Human Rights and Constitutional Matters has completed its visit to Barra, Amdalai, and Farafenni Police stations, noting that all these stations visited have been complaining of logistic problems hampering their operations.
“The committee has expressed its disappointment regarding the two detention centers at Farafenni Police station because all of them are overcrowded. The first cell we visited had 9-10 detainees, while the second one is in a very terrible and deplorable state in terms of size and ventilation,” Hon. Madi Ceesay Chairman Select Committee on Human Rights and Constitutional Matters disclosed.
He added: “As Chairman of the committee I expressed my disappointment regarding the situation of the cells that are not having adequate ventilation to detain people. It is very sad and disappointing to see detainees standing on top of each other to take air through a tiny hope attached to the wall.”
The Serrekunda West Lawmaker observed that the lack of an adequate lightening system and ventilation poised serious threats to the lives and livelihoods of the detainees. He added that the detention centers at Farafenni police station are unfit for human habitation let alone using it for a cell.
Hon. Ceesay revealed that so far the Select Committee on Human Rights and Constitutional matters is not happy with what they found on the ground as far as the detention facilities are concerned.
