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	Inhumane Congolese prisons need urgent overhaul by Dmitri Titov Assistant Secretary-General for the Rule of Law and Security Institutions   July 2009   Long-term international support is needed to overhaul the prison system in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where inmates routinely have to sleep in disease-ridden hallways and men, women and children incarcerated together, a senior United Nations peacekeeping official says.   Wrapping up a six-day visit to the DRC, Dmitri Titov, Assistant Secretary-General for the Rule of Law and Security Institutions, told journalists in Kinshasa on Friday that drastic changes are necessary to fix the state of the Congolese prisons.   “I’ve visited many African countries in a post-conflict situation and Goma prison is one of the most terrible prisons that I have seen,” Mr. Titov said, referring to the jail in the capital of North Kivu province in the country’s far east.   “It houses 850 inmates for an original capacity of 150, of which 650 are in pre-trial detention, and they have not yet been before a judge.”   Mr. Titov said the conditions inside the prisons were “inhumane… and a human rights, humanitarian and security risk,” with prisoners sleeping in septic conditions and no separation of prisoners, whether male or female, adult and child, or military and civilian.   Measures such as mobile courts and hearings in prisons are not enough, he stressed, adding that the Government must pay the salary of security forces and restructure the rule of law sector.   “Rule of law, police and justice is the main responsibility of the state and much needs to be done. International donors are providing basic assistance to the prison service, but in this area emergency support is not enough.”   In a report released in March, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed that little progress had been made in the reform of the DRC’s penitentiary system due to an absence of a national administrative mechanism, the limited capacity of security staff, decaying prisons, the lack of food and health care for inmates, and insufficient training.   Long-term support from the international community is key to reform, said Mr. Titov, who also met with officials from the UN peacekeeping mission to the DRC (known as MONUC) during his visit to the country.   “Proper training, vetting and equipment needs to be undertaken by the Government of police, correctional and justice officers. This is a strategic challenge for the country and the creation of a viable rule of law sector is vital for justice, human rights and protection of civilians and also to reassure donors and investors that they can safely operate in the country.”
	Another Human Rights Defender murdered in Russia by Reuters & agencies Russia   July 15, 2009   A prominent human rights activist has been found dead after being kidnapped in Russia"s troubled republic of Chechnya, provoking outrage from the international community.   Natalia Estemirova, a close friend of murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, worked for the human rights organisation Memorial in the Chechen capital Grozny and documented abuses by law enforcement agencies, colleagues said.   Ms Estemirova was bundled into a van and abducted as she left her home in Chechnya on Wednesday. A few hours later her body was discovered in wood in Inghushetia. She had bullet wounds to the head.   Ms Estemirova had been investigating human rights abuses in Chechnya, and in recent months, she had been gathering evidence on a campaign of house-burnings by government-backed militias.   UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he is appalled and saddened by Ms. Estemirova’s “heinous” killing, calling on authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice “to send a strong and unambiguous message that the targeting of human rights will not be tolerated,” according to a statement issued by his spokesperson.   “The Secretary-General expresses his solidarity with human rights defenders around the world who work courageously and selflessly each and every day, in defense of basic rights and freedoms,” it added.   The slain activist had worked for many years to promote human rights in the North Caucasus, having received numerous awards. Those included the Anna Politkovskaya Prize from the Nobel Women’s Initiative, which was named for the Russian journalist and outspoken human rights campaigner who was killed in 2006, with whom Ms. Estemirova had worked. She had also worked alongside Stanislav Markelov, a human rights lawyer who was killed after having given a press conference in Moscow on 19 January.   Human Rights Watch has accused Chechen authorities of involvement in her abduction and murder. The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expressed his "outrage" at the murder, and has ordered an investigation.   The murder is the latest in a series of killings of journalists and human rights defenders in Russia, which has drawn international condemnation and led to questions about Mr Medvedev"s pledges to uphold the rule of law and build a freer society.   "It is evident that this deliberate murder can be related to Natalia Estemirova"s human rights activities," said Mr Medvedev"s spokeswoman.   Human Rights Watch said Ms Estemirova had been working on "extremely sensitive" cases of human rights abuses in Chechnya. "There is no shred of doubt that she was targeted due to her professional activity," said Tanya Lokshina, HRW Russian researcher in Moscow. Amnesty International said her murder was a consequence of the "impunity" allowed to persist by the Russian and Chechen authorities, and an attempt to gag civil society in the country.   "The killing today of Russian human rights activist Natalya Estemirova is further evidence of the urgent need for the Russian authorities to take effective action to bring to an end a mounting wave of violence against human rights activists, independent journalists and other non-violent critics of the Russian government, " said Neil Hicks, International Policy Advisor for Human Rights First. Estemirova"s murder is sadly the latest in a growing list of targeted killings of human rights defenders.   Many of these murders remain unresolved creating a culture of impunity that has contributed to the growing number of deaths. "It is time for President Medvedev to demonstrate his stated commitment to the rule of law by finding those responsible for Natalya Estemirova"s murder, and those responsible for the murders of other activists, and bringing them to justice," added Hicks.   * Visit the Russian Human Rights organisation Memorial via the link below. Visit the related web page
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