Madagascar: Excessive use of pre-trial detention [The Morning Call]

April 25, 2019 marks the fourth Africa Pretrial Detention Day. A day to raise awareness of the plight of thousands of people who are held in detention in police cells and prisons across Africa for prolonged periods without trial.

The situation in Madagascar is however worsening, according to Amnesty International. It says the excessive use of pre-trial detention in the island nation is unjust and abusive, and has now reached crisis levels with up to 14,000 people held.

According to the human rights body, the number of pre-trial detainees exceeds the total capacity of the country’s prisons.

These detainees are held in appalling conditions that pose a threat to their lives, and fall far short of international, regional and national human rights law and standards.

The latest information comes just six months after the organisation exposed the country’s pre-trial situation in a previous report.