[JURIST] UN Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations [official website] Dmitry Titov [official profile] has called conditions in a Goma, Congo prison "inhumane" and said that it is the worst in Africa. Although built for 150 prisoners, the facility now holds 850. In a June riot the prisoners are reported to have raped some 20 women [EU press release]. Titov was on a working visit [MONUC press release] to the DRC to evaluate its prison system.

The current conflict in the DR Congo has been one of the most deadly in the world, claiming an estimated 45,000 lives [Guardian report] per month. Several prominent figures in the conflict - including ex-militia leaders Thomas Lubanga Dyilo and Jean Pierre Bemba - are currently facing prosecutions by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for atrocities.