Search Results for 'Central Prison of Lome'

Togo is a small country about the size of Ireland. It is one of the poorest countries in the world and has been ruled by the same family for almost 50 years. The justice system is severely under-resourced and the prison system a direct reflection of that. The Central Prison of Lome was built for 600 people. It currently holds over 2,000. Each cell, roughly the size of your average Irish kitchen, holds about 80 people. To sleep only some prisoners get to lie down, side by side like in a sardine can. For this privilege you pay. The rest have to sit around the edge of the room or stand. There is one toilet and shower (ie bucket) per cell. Prisoners are served one meal a day. On average prisoners wait 3-4 years to receive their sentence. Legal representation is mostly absent. Aggression, violence, rape, abuse, bullying and intimidation are the norm. One man described inside as being like a war zone.