Tales of torture in 'solitary confinement'

GALE NGAKANE
Correspondent | Friday April 18, 2008 00:00

The letter, the name of whose author is known to Mmegi, is addressed to the Commissioner of Prisons. It accuses officers at the prison of being a law unto themselves.
When Mmegi called the Commissioner of Prisons yesterday, he insisted on a questionnaire, although he said he was not sure that their fax line was operational. We complied nevertheless, only to be told by the Commissioner's secretary that their faxes were not only down, the machines had been been taken for repairs outside the premises.
Subsequent attempts to speak to the Commissioner did not bear fruit because the secretary said he had gone to the post office. The letter in question is handwritten. In it, the author says he is a foreigner, although he does not specify his nationality. It is in two parts, the first of which is headed 'Complain About Assault And Torture By Prison Officers'.

The second part is headed 'Discrimination, Assault And Torture By Prison Officers at Francistown State Prison'.

In the first part, the writer alleges that on the morning of November 24,2007 he was informed by a convicted prisoner (name known to Mmegi) that an officer (name known to Mmegi) at the gate wanted to see him (the writer).

He says he went to meet the officer, a Sergeant, at the gate who told the writer that he was wanted by the Officer-in-Charge (name known to Mmegi).

'He then opened the gate and pointed me in a direction he wanted me to go and I obeyed the orders and followed his direction leading to an inner room known as solitary confinement,' the letter reads.

Upon reaching the place, he was shocked to meet two officers (names known to Mmegi) instead of the Officer-in-Charge.

When he enquire about the Officer-in-Charge who he was told wanted to see him, the two officers responded by grabbing him by his throat and testicles, and dragging him into the solitary confinement room.

'As they were doing this, one of them kept saying to me 'you are nothing. I am used to killing people. It is my duty.' The other one stood by watching and smiling,' the letter reads.

The writer says on asking why he was being beaten, the officers told him it was because he had written to the Commissioner of Prisons about their previous assault of the man inspite of their warning that he should not do so after they intercepted the letter.

'My humble request, Sir/Madam, is for you to intervene into my matters as I am constantly being abused, assaulted, tortured and regularly starved as punishment and all these are being done to me for absolutely no good reason... they have resorted to confiscating my letters to the Commissioner as a way of concealing their dubious act,' reads the letter. The inmate adds in a postscript: 'This letter is an extract from the last one I gave the officer in charge (name known to Mmegi) to send to you. It (this letter) is smuggled and posted, as I believe he is not posting my letters. I have sent five letters through him to you on this matter'.

In the second part, the author says while he, together with some inmates, were recommended particular diets by the doctor, the other inmates were given their recommended food while he was not.

When he went to enquire, a kitchen storeman (name known to Mmegi) told him that there was no budget for special diets for foreigners.

'The question here is, since I am recommended the special diet like other inmates, why am I not given? The answer is discrimination. The worst part of this discrimination, assault, abuse and torture is that the prison authority clearly and strongly support it,' the letter reads.

The writer says at another time when he enquired about his special diet, he was assaulted with a baton by an officer. When he wanted to report the matter to the police, the Officer-in-Charge 'strongly' dissuaded him from doing so.

But when he persisted, he was finally allowed to report the matter, but the Officer-in-Charge refused to release the medical report.

He says he reported the case at Central Police Station and that some officers were dispatched to investigate the matter. The Commander Central Police Station, Superintendent Mokuedi Mphathi, has neither confirmed nor denied knowledge of a case of assault reported to his station last year by an inmate of foreign origin at the Francistown State Prison.

Mphathi says he cannot find such a case in the files, and that maybe the case was lacking in detail. Besides, the officers whose names he was given were not present to assist him in searching for the particular file.

Meanwhile, another prisoner awaiting trial, (name known to Mmegi) also accused prison officers of abuse last week.

At the Francistown magistrates' court where he has since been convicted, he alleged to Mmegi: 'They take you and beat you up for no apparent reason. If you speak up about something, they take you aside and tell you that you think you are clever and then they beat you up.'

He claimed that the warders usually aim for the buttocks and under the feet where the marks will not be obvious.

'Once they are through with you, they use hot water to massage you until the swelling subsides,' he continued. 'Then they take you to the hospital where they claim that you slipped and fell.'

In response, prison authorities told Mmegi that it was news to them that prisoners were subjected to physical abuse by prison warders.

In a telephone interview, Divisional Commander-North, Assistant Commissioner of Prisons, Rebaone Mmese, said he went on an inspection of Francistown Prison from
January 28 to 31 but no-one raised the issue of abuse with him.

'I spoke to them as a group and individually, and not one said anything about being abused,' Mmese said.