There is no violation of rights of prisoners - Laurent Esso

A release from the Minister of Justice, which comes at a time when NGOs (the human rights Commission, Amnesty International), recently published reports in which they deplored the conditions of life in Cameroonian prisons.

His words are as rare as his public appearances, yet Laurent Esso agreed to speak to the weekly Anecdote Monday, September 21, 2015.

This interview with the keeper of seals, after the heads of the Courts of Appeal of Cameroon meeting, sounded like a response from him who is now in charge of the prison administration.

“For people detained provisionally, the Prison Administration, whenever they require, arranges to present before the examining magistrate or before the Court which hears the case,” noted the former Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic.

Laurent Esso goes even further: "There is no violation of the rights of prisoners who regularly receive visits from their lawyers, members of their families, as well as health personnel available at the Prison Administration", he argued, noting that instructions have been given for any sick prisoner to be taken to the doctor.

Without denying the problem of prison overcrowding, the former Minister of Health suggested that "prison overcrowding is not in itself a violation of rights. There is overcrowding because the capacity of prisons is insufficient". He added "the conditions of detention, especially in prisons in the cities are difficult. But this is not specific to Cameroon," defended Mr. Esso who wished that the above mentioned NGO also lingered on the advances of Cameroon in prison universe.

In his interview, the Minister sets out from proposals of the meeting of the heads of Courts of Appeal in order to gradually relieve the prisons. Others include: the review of certain provisions of the Code of criminal procedure of judicial delays, the re-appropriation by the magistrates of the provisions of the code in favour of freedom of the mis en cause during trial, and possibly the ultimately imposition of penalties involving deprivation of liberty with suspension etc.