A senior prison officer at Gicumbi, a district in northern Rwanda, Chief Superintendent of Prison (CSP), Innocent Iyaburunga has been arrested earlier over calling for humanitarian assistance for detainees who are facing nutritious food shortage amid COVID-19 lockdown, a judicial source revealed Wednesday to APA in Kigali.
The arrest comes after the Catholic 0parish in Byumba diocese (North) raised an alarm on food shortage in prisons calling charities to provide food assistance to prisoners in emergency situations.
Reports by Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) indicate that the East African country spends about two dollars a day to feed each of about 74,000 prisoners, and officials say they’re having no problems providing meals during the COVID pandemic.
Since 2008, the Rwandan government announced a new rule which bans persons from bringing food for prisoners.
However, pregnant or nursing mothers and persons who are ill and to whom particular diets have been prescribed by a doctor will be exempted from the new rule.
Following new lockdown measures to prevent COVID-19 outbreak in mid March this year, the Rwanda Correctional Services suspended indefinitely prison visits to control the spread of coronavirus.
Rwanda has 13 prisons with a population of about 74, 000 inmates.
The Rwanda Correctional Services says that all persons who visit Inmates will have to observe hygienic measures including hand-washing and avoiding handshakes.
CU/as/APA