CAT/OP/TGO/1/Add.1
1.
Togo has taken note of the report of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture
issued following its mission of 1-10 December 2014.
2.
The Government is willing to cooperate fully with the Subcommittee in
implementing the recommendations. In this connection, a request will be submitted in due
course to benefit from the Fund established for this purpose. In addition, the Government
has no objection to the Subcommittee’s report being published.
3.
As refresher training for judicial police officers and prison administration and
rehabilitation personnel, two regional workshops on capacity-building in the struggle
against torture were organized in September 2014 by the Ministry for Human Rights and
the Strengthening of Democracy, in cooperation with the ministries of justice and relations
with the institutions of the Republic, security and civil protection and with financial support
from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
4.
A mission to evaluate the implementation of the action plans drawn up as a result of
these workshops is planned for later this year.
5.
Act No. 2015-10 of 24 November 2015 relating to the new Criminal Code has been
adopted and promulgated.
6.
The building work on the new prison that was in progress at the time of the visit has
been completed. The work was signed off in December 2015.
7.
With a view to improving the living conditions of prisoners, in December 2015 the
prison and rehabilitation administration introduced telephone booths in all of the country’s
prisons in order to facilitate communication between prisoners and their relatives or friends.
8.
This will serve to counteract uncontrolled communications by prisoners. Searches
will soon be conducted to collect mobile telephones which have been smuggled into prisons
and are used to conduct a range of mainly disreputable activities.
9.
Educational activities (establishment of a library in Lomé), recreational activities (to
relieve stress) and sporting activities (football and certain physical exercises) have begun to
be introduced in some of our prisons — especially, as far as sport is concerned, in closed
prisons.
10.
Similarly, workshops have been set up for inmates wishing to undergo vocational
training, particularly in carpentry, basket weaving, electronics, shoemaking, tailoring
(men’s and women’s) hairdressing (men’s and women’s) and beadwork. Prisoners have
recently been provided with a guide designed to help them organize their work better and
derive significant benefit from it.
11.
A set of internal regulations is available following approval and is awaiting
implementation through the adoption of a decree.
12.
Provisions will be introduced through a service note or by other means to reorganize
the internal management of prisons where prisoners are responsible for bullying other
inmates, who are reduced to a kind of slavery and subjected to various kinds of
humiliations unworthy of the human race.
13.
Discussions are in progress with a partner (Handicap International) with a view to
the complete renovation of the Cabanon, involving its extension and improved distribution
of building space between the two sexes and also juveniles.
14.
A Computerized Prison Management System (GIP) has been in place for several
years now but, owing to technical difficulties, is not currently operational. Efforts are being
made to bring it back into service in the coming weeks.
15.
Since the draft internal regulations are available, steps will be taken at a high level to
secure the signature of the decree that will improve prison organization.
16.
Service notes or circulars will be issued to instruct prison administration staff as to
the need to enable prisoners to convey their complaints and concerns to the administration.
This task will be entrusted to certain diligent persons in order to facilitate interaction
between inmates and the administration.
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