A/HRC/13/39/Add.4 cm height, but they were allegedly not used any more. The Special Rapporteur welcomes reports that a new prison has replaced the old one. 29. In Evinayong Prison, a spacious, recently refurbished prison, only six prisoners were detained at the time of the Special Rapporteur’s visit, most of them sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. The prison disposed of high standard sanitary facilities and a large clean kitchen in which prisoners cook their own food. During the day, prisoners could freely move around inside the large courtyard, but the cells were locked during the night. Police custody 30. With the exception of Bata Central Police Station, the police and gendarmerie holding cells were generally in a dilapidated physical state. Most of the cells were extremely dirty, humid and lacked any sanitary or sleeping facilities. Some were completely dark. In several custody facilities, the Special Rapporteur found piles of bottles filled with urine and plastic bags were used to defecate, and the smell was unbearable because of the lack of sanitary facilities. Furthermore, detainees had no possibility to take showers or to exercise. Detainees did also not have access to nurses or medical doctors. In all police and gendarmerie custody facilities without exception, food was only provided by the detainees’ families or by fellow detainees and access to water for drinking and washing was severely restricted. Many detainees complained that they could not inform their family of their arrest and detention. 31. In the Special Rapporteur’s view, the hygienic conditions and lack of toilets and of other sanitary facilities in almost all police detention cells, as well as severe restrictions on food supply, access to sanitary facilities, medical treatment and medicine show a complete disregard for the dignity of detainees. The fact that many detainees were held in these conditions well beyond the maximum of 72 hours stipulated by law, sometimes up to several months, exacerbated the situation and amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment. 32. Bata Central Police Station is located in a new building. On the ground floor, at the far end, male foreigners were detained in a spacious area that consisted of an open courtyard where the detainees could play football or sit on chairs. During the night, they were locked into one large room that was separated from the yard by an iron grid. The room had several mattresses on the floor and a few beds, tables and chairs, and was clean. The detainees had shaded the electric light on the ceiling with cloth as it was not switched off at night, which hence attracted numerous mosquitoes. The adjacent sanitary facilities were newly built and in very good condition, including running water and electricity. At the time of the visit, about 15 to 20 persons were detained in this area. The detainees came from neighbouring countries. One of them had spent a month at the police station, others several weeks. The physical conditions were good on the first floor as well, where mostly Equatoguinean detainees were held. Cells were equipped with beds and mattresses as well as sanitary facilities. All cells were open so that detainees could walk around. The police did not provide adequate food, and detainees had to rely on family and friends, who were often not allowed into the police building, so that the detainees did not have enough to eat. Despite the acceptable physical conditions, prolonged detention in these cells is problematic since some of them were overcrowded, men and women were not separated and the toilets were open, to be used in front of other detainees, which interferes with their privacy. 33. Malabo Central Police Station, located in the centre of the city, is divided in two wings, one with three small cells and another one with a large cell and a large courtyard. In the latter, there were no toilets and detainees defecated in plastic bags and urinated in plastic bottles, which they then threw over the wall. At the time of the visit, the large cell was extremely overcrowded, and there were clearly not enough beds for everybody. 11