PRISONS IN THE GAMBIA INTRODUCTION It seems appropriate to begin with a justification for the selection of The Gambia. Whilst the Special Rapporteur had visited prisons twice in a Francophone West African Country, Mali, no Anglophone country in West Africa had played host to him for a similar purpose. A high degree of respect for and protection of human rights in The Gambia must, to a large extent, have contributed to the Organisation of African Unity siting the headquarters of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in Banjul, The Gambia. Africa and, indeed, the whole world continue to expect that the host country of the Commission measures up to the standard of foremost respecter of human rights in Africa, A visit to prisons and. detention centres in The Gambia by the Special Rapporteur, followed by the implementation of his recommendations will contribute towards the realisation of the foregoing expectation. If any pressure were needed to be brought to bear on the government of The Gambia to consent to the visit, the Secretariat of the Commission would find itself well situated to undertake this task, being in the same city as the government. Herein, lie the reasons why prisons in The Gambia were visited between 21-26 June, 1999. For a visit to a country with which the Special Rapporteur (SR) is so familiar, visiting it about three times a year in recent times, and where the working language is also that of the SR, I did not consider it advisable to fall on that part of assistance which had been extended to me hitherto by PRI in the form of a bilingual French lady for interpretation and secretarial support. The Secretariat of the Commission could be counted upon for administrative and transport assistance as I would require, It had also been rightly suggested by commentators on the work of the SR that a team of colleagues, experts and assistants in the field of prison work should be identified in all parts of Africa to work with the SR on his country visits. And so it was that the Executive Director of Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) based in Nigeria and two members of staff of the Secretariat of the Commission joined me in the work of The Gambia. As has been the strategy from the beginning of the implementation of the mandate of the SR there was, for the visit to The Gambia, no check list of the provisions of international instruments against which The Gambia would be marked for compliance or violation. Without forgetting the requirements of these instruments, a high measure of cooperation from host countries, and improvement in prison conditions are likely to be attained if broad issues such as congestion, medical care, long remand, torture and assault in particular, and a healthy relationship between guards and inmates in general, adequate food and hygiene were addressed. This stance accords with clause 11.1 of the SR's Mandate: 4