Luanda, 07 January, 2024 / 9:20 pm (ACI Africa).
Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba of Angola’s Saurimo Archdiocese has emphasized the need to improve the living conditions of inmates at Luzia Prison in the country’s Lunda Sul Province.
Speaking to Radio Ecclesia on the sidelines of a pastoral visit to the prison on Thursday, January 4, Archbishop Imbamba weighed in on the situation at Luzia Prison. Designed for 475 inmates, Luzia Prison in Saurimo currently houses 625 inmates, 57 of whom are female. Of these, 430 are detainees and 190 convicts.
“Prison is a place for re-education, not frustration,” he said, and added, “The prison population must not exceed the capacity of its own reception space, and this can lead to dehumanization; it can lead to those situations that hurt, offend the dignity of the human person.”
The Angolan Catholic Archbishop who serves as the President of the Bishops' Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (CEAST) emphasized the “urgent need for intervention by the relevant authorities to improve the conditions of inmates affected by overcrowding in Luzia Prison.”
“We guarantee our presence, our spiritual support, our advocacy, so that as soon as possible the prison can be a real school for re-education and reintegration into the normal life of citizens,” Archbishop Imbamba said.
