Rwanda: Detention Rights Improve, but Gaps Remain, NCHR Reports

What the report says

Rwanda’s National Commission for Human Rights says conditions for people held in prisons and detention cells have improved overall, but that important gaps remain. The findings were presented to both houses of Parliament on October 28, according to the report carried by The New Times and distributed by AllAfrica. NCHR chairperson Providence Umurungi said the assessment drew on monitoring work from 2018 through the 2024/2025 fiscal year and covered 13 prisons and 26 custody cells.

The report said 57.6% of recommendations had been fully implemented, while 39.4% were partly carried out and 3% had not been implemented. It pointed to strong progress on prevention of torture, healthcare, food, water, hygiene and fair-trial rights. Umurungi told lawmakers that essential services such as food, water, cleanliness, healthcare, health insurance and inmate communication systems were now available in many facilities, though access to specialised treatment and some medicines remained limited.

Parliamentarians pressed the commission on overcrowding, poor bedding, infrastructure problems and case delays. One lawmaker raised concerns about conditions at Huye Correctional Facility, while others asked about inmates sleeping on cement floors and the handling of detainees with communicable diseases. The commission also said 308 detainees had cases that had not yet begun. In response, it urged better prison clinics, improved custody-cell infrastructure, mental health support, disability access and sign-language training in rehabilitation centres.

The commission also reported that 24 people were released after its intervention despite having remained in custody after release orders. It separately said progress was made on 37 recommendations to public institutions, with an overall implementation rate of 94.6%.