Senegal Urged to Take Urgent Action to Address Prison Overcrowding and Uphold Human Rights Standards

The appeal came at the conclusion of her official visit to Senegal, where she conducted inspections at five penitentiary facilities and engaged with prison authorities.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, has called on Senegal to take immediate and bold action to address severe overcrowding and deteriorating conditions in the country's prisons. The appeal came at the conclusion of her official visit to Senegal, where she conducted inspections at five penitentiary facilities and engaged with prison authorities.

Crisis-Level Overcrowding Threatens Safety and Health

Edwards described the situation in Senegalese prisons as "dramatic and inhumane," highlighting overcrowding as a severe risk factor for violence, disease outbreaks, and humanitarian crises. She observed that in many prisons, detainees were sleeping on thin mattresses in cramped conditions, including under bunk beds and in corridors. Some detainees were forced to sleep in shifts due to the lack of space.

Urgent Reforms and Emergency Measures Proposed

The Special Rapporteur commended the Senegalese Government for initiatives such as electronic tagging and the construction of new facilities but stressed that additional emergency measures were necessary. She proposed:

• A 20% automatic sentence reduction for prisoners serving terms of three years or less.
• Immediate release of pre-trial detainees held for more than one year, except those charged with serious offenses.
• Comprehensive review of sentencing guidelines to prioritize non-custodial measures.

Concerns Over Prolonged Pre-Trial Detention

Edwards emphasized that many detainees were languishing in prison for years awaiting trial due to slow judicial processes. She urged the Government to reform prosecutorial and judicial practices to make pre-trial detention the exception rather than the norm.

Call for Justice for Female Detainees and Protest Victims

The Special Rapporteur also called for the immediate release of women detained on abortion-related charges, especially in cases of rape or incest, in line with the Maputo Protocol on Women's Rights, ratified by Senegal in 2004.

Additionally, she urged the repeal of the Amnesty Law, which shields perpetrators of excessive force from prosecution for human rights violations committed during protests between March 2021 and February 2024.

A Global Appeal for Reform and Accountability

Edwards encouraged Senegal to join the Alliance for Torture-Free Trade, which promotes international regulations on the use of law enforcement equipment. She stressed that accountability, truth, and reparations for victims are essential for rebuilding public trust and ensuring justice.

The findings from her visit will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2026.