According to officials, the Republic of Congo police, who are frequently accused of torturing and mistreating prisoners, will participate in a three-year training program sponsored by five million euros (3.3 Billion CDF) from the European Union.
The program will help “police forces to better manage people in custody,” said Congo-Brazzaville’s Interior Minister Raymond Zephyrin Mboulou, who launched the project.
“The main objective is to support the government in promoting respect for human rights among police forces, by preventing all forms of torture,” said Herve Le Pennec, the project’s lead expert.
“Priority will be given to improving day-to-day police work and strengthening the role of the police in the criminal justice system, in order to improve citizens’ access to justice”, he added.
At least 13 young people were discovered dead in 2018 after being tortured in the Brazzaville police station in the Mpila neighborhood.
According to the rights organisation Development Actions Centre (CAD), six further people passed away in similar circumstances at the Central Police Station of the city in 2020.
“Torture is a sad reality in Congo. The police and law enforcement agencies are not sufficiently professional, so they need to be trained,” Joseph Likibi, national coordinator of children’s charity REIPER, told newsmen.