A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

investigation will be initiated. Investigations into all allegations of torture or ill-treatment
should be conducted promptly, impartially, and effectively, guided by the U.N. Manual on
the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment (The Istanbul Protocol). 232
• The Government of Liberia should encourage and facilitate visits by appropriate nongovernmental
and inter-governmental organizations to places of detention. 233
Security Sector: Bureau of Corrections Staff, Policies, and Facilities
Conditions of detention and treatment of prisoners was an important theme enunciated during TRC
statement taking in the diaspora. Prisoners in Liberia prior to and during the civil crises were routinely
held in inhuman conditions and were subject to torture as well as cruel, inhuman, and degrading
treatment. The Kampala Declaration on Prison Conditions in Africa and The Robben Island
Guidelines provide a guiding framework for improving prison conditions in Liberia. The Advocates
recommends the following:
• The international community and the Government of Liberia should work closely with the
Liberian Bureau of Corrections to: 1) strengthen the bureau’s human resource capacity; 2)
incorporate human rights and gender issues into training for bureau personnel; 3) improve
and/or develop new policies and procedures that reflect international guidelines on the
treatment of offenders; and 4) construct and refurbish prison facilities so as to provide
humane custodial conditions. 234
• Human resource capacity at the bureau should be developed in full consideration of the
principles of the Kampala Declaration that provides that: 1) there should be a proper career
structure for prison staff; 2) all prison personnel should be linked to one government ministry
and there should be a clear line of command between central prison administration and the
staff in prisons; 3) the State should provide sufficient material and financial resources for staff
to carry out their work properly; and 4) the penitentiary administration should be directly
involved in the recruitment of prison staff. 235
• The Government of Liberia should ensure that: 1) the human rights of prisoners are
safeguarded at all times; 2) prisoners retain all rights that are not expressly taken away by
the fact of their detention; 3) prisoners live in conditions compatible with human dignity; 4)
prison conditions and regulations do not aggravate the suffering already caused by the loss of
liberty; 5) the detrimental effects of imprisonment are minimized so that prisoners do not lose
their self-respect and sense of personal responsibility; 6) prisoners are given the opportunity
to maintain and develop links with their families and the outside world; 7) prisoners have
access to education and skills training in order to make it easier for them to reintegrate into
society after their release; and 8) special attention is paid to vulnerable prisoners, and nongovernmental
organizations are supported in their work with these prisoners. 236
• The Government of Liberia should ensure that all persons who are deprived of their liberty
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