COMMENTS BY THE GOVERNMENT OF MALI Ministere of Justice National direction of Prison Service and Controlled Education Republic of Mali One people - One goal - One faith Bamako, 22 October 1999 The National director of the Prison Service and controlled education to The Special Rapporteur on Prisons and Conditions of Detention in Africa It is with a deep interest that I read your second report on the prisons you visited in Mali. The approach to seek our comments prior the publication of your reports is a proof of objectiveness of your final work. In order to contribute to it, I bring to your attention the following clarifications: Page 15: We believe that in a prison where 3 meals are served a day, there is such blatant expression of a good will it is harsh to stress declarations which tend to prove the contrary. A soap-making workshop started to operate a month ago in Bamako Central Prison. Production already covers the needs of this prison. A stock is even available for other prisons of the country. Pages 16 - 17: The opening of the soap-making workshop and the launch of gardening activities are the beginning of a solution to the idleness of prisoners in the convicted section. The women section, then transformed into a juvenile section, had been closed. The juveniles have been transferred to the new facilities of Bone Centre. It was decided that the disciplinary cell would not be used again. Since then, not prisoner has been detained in it. 54 It is unfair to say that the mentally sick were gathered in a section of the prison. Page 20: Since the second visit in Mopti, three new cells, two lavatories and a warehouse have been built. Page 23: The new building was useless because the doors were locked during your visit. It is excessive. The new building is definitely used. The observation is due to an order which was not carried out. Page 25: Bone Centre now has three vehicles. Page 29: Following is the budget allocated to Koulikoro's prison, for an average population of 80 inmates in 1999, in order to gain a better understanding - backed with figures - of the efforts made in direction of prisons. Food grains allocation : Mil : 17 tons 800 kilos Rice : 2 tons Beans : 2 tons 500 kilos Overall budget for grains : 250 000 F CFA x 4 = 1 000 000 Francs CFA Condiments : 1 421 560 Francs CFA Page 32: The problem was the quantity of food served not quality. The observation is therefore arguable. A seminar on Conditions of detention in the prisons was held in Bamako's Palais des Congres from 4 to 7 June 1999. The Registrar of this prison stated loud and clear that prisons' food rations were not far from ideal. When one knows ideal does not belong to this world, one can understand all the efforts made for that matter. Moreover, we do not believe doctors refuse to treat sick prisoners because their workload is already burdened by their outside patients. Page 32: Since the convicts' allegations on Gendarmes and magistrates were not investigated, is it relevant to include it in this report ? We believe, from what it is observed in the last paragraph of page 33, it is possible to say that idleness is not such a crucial problem in Kayes prison, thus contradicting what it is implied under the sub-title 'Workshop'. 55