The Office of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary (CSM) of the DRC has called on magistrates to continue arrests and carry out their duties in accordance with the law, despite recent directives from the Ministry of Justice restricting detainee transfers.
During a meeting held this Wednesday at the Constitutional Court, the CSM responded to the remarks of the Deputy Minister of Justice who had, in a circular note dated September 2, 2024, ordered the cessation of transfers of preventive detainees to the central prison of Makala and the military prison of Ndolo, following a mass escape attempt that occurred on the night of September 1 to 2 in Makala.
In a statement, the CSM office insisted that the magistrates are not responsible for this escape attempt and criticized the statements of the Deputy Minister of Justice, describing them as “dangerous” because they could “stigmatize the magistrates and expose them to popular vindictiveness.”
The Council recalled that the arrest is a legal and appropriate response to the increase in crime in Kinshasa, and that failure to apprehend the suspects would constitute a flagrant violation of the law.
The CSM also stressed the importance of a framework for consultation between the Ministry of Justice and the CSM to address issues related to the administration of justice. He urged magistrates to “continue to carry out their duties in strict compliance with the Constitution and the laws of the Republic” and to remain “calm and respectful of the rules of ethics and professional conduct.”
In response to the events in Makala, the Ministry of Justice had previously ordered a halt to transfers of unconvicted prisoners to Makala central prison and Ndolo military prison, and announced a series of measures to relieve overcrowding in prisons in Kinshasa and other regions of the country.
The ministry also stressed its commitment to speed up the construction of a new prison to replace the one in Makala, in order to address the problems of prison overcrowding, aggravated by a facility dating from 1957 designed to accommodate 1,500 inmates but which currently houses more than 8,000.
The situation remains tense as judicial and government authorities disagree on what measures should be taken to prevent further incidents and improve prison conditions in the DRC.
/actualité.cd
2024-09-04 19:17:51
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