By Anthony Flahn, anthonyflahn88@gmail.com
ZWEDRU, Liberia- Inmates at the maximum security prison here in the southeastern Grand Gedeh County are said to be undergoing serious hardship, with lack of basic social services and poor sanitation.
Investigation shows that safe drinking water is in short supply due to lack of hand pumps, inmate lack access to medication, healthy latrine facility and the prison compound is infested with mosquitos as a result of the generally poor sanitary condition. Tools to clear the grass and the absence of detergents as well as lack of logistics including vehicles, this reporter learned on a visit to the facility.
The Palace of Corrections has three hand pumps, but at the moment only one is functioning.
The Director of the prison, Flomo Johnson told www.newspublictrust.com recently that due to the huge number population of inmates, one functioning pump cannot meet their needs.
He emphasized on the issue of electricity that the inmates are sleeping in darkness which he considered as a difficult situation amongst the prisoners.
Director Johnson also expressed concern about the state of healthcare at the facility, as there is lack of medications for the scores of inmates, adding that inmates are treated at the Martha Tubman Memorial Hospital due to lack of assigned clinicians and medications on the prison compound.
Inmates are sleeping on the floor and metal objects without mosquito nets.
According to the Zwedru Correction Palace Director, in order to ease the suffering and improve the conditions at this facility, Director Johnson is recommending the urgent intervention of authorities.
Mr. Johnson is appealing to the local authority, civil society organizations, international Organizations and philanthropists to urgently intervene, so as to ensure the smooth operations of this maximum security prison.
Even those in prison have basic human rights under Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) signed and ratified by member states of the United Nations, including Liberia.
“Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person,” the UDHR says.