22 In 1985 the Commandant of the Cercle participated in a human rights training workshop. A workshop on the same subject was held for magistrates and registrars in 1996. He identified the poor state of thc building as the main problem facing the prison in Tombouctou. What is required is a new building and not renovation of the existing one. The Judiciary Tombouctou has a magistrate Court Grade I which is under the Court of Appeal in Mopti. There are seven magistrates in thc Tombouctou Cercle, three at the public prosecutor's department (Parquet) and four on the bench (Siege). The Special Rapporteur met 4 of the above and a Court Clerk who stated that the penal procedure code made provision for bail with or without guarantee. Limitation periods for offences ranged from 1 year for infraction of the law (misdemeanour); to 10 years in the case of murder. The Public Prosecutor, Christian Idrissa Diassana He granted me permission to visit Police and Gendarmerie cells in Tombouctou Brigade of Gendarmerie of Tombouctou Sandogo, Head of Station Brigade of Gendarmerie of Tombuctu Sandogo, Head of Station The second official above explained to me that the Gendarmerie, commanded by a Captain was based in Goundam (regional headquarters). The gendarmerie acted as the police of the judiciary and were entitled to keep people in custody for questioning. But there were no detainees thtat day, and the Agent Chef asserted that they were not kept beyond the legal limit of 72 hours. Ther one cell I visited was about 1.5 metre x 4m. It was a very warm day, and it felt so inside the cell. A guard stated that it was either very warm (day) or very cold (night). They, therefore tried to avoid detaining people there. The cell had neither blankets, mats nor toilets. Visit to a detainee transferred to Hospital In the company of the Registrar of Tombouctou prison, 1 visited a prisoner who had been transferred to the regional hospital from prison not long before my visit, it would appear. 23 The Registrar stated that he received no medicine from DNAPES. Their only source of medicine was private mainly ICRC. It appeared, however, that the hospital was in charge of the medicine for the prison. On my visit to the prison, the inmates stated that they had to pay for their medicine. Police Post, Commissioner Bougadany Toure On the first visit, I was asked to come back later. On the latter occasion the Commissioner informed me that the Police did not keep more than 10 persons per month in custody. The 72 hours limitation period was always respected. A detainee at the post, however, informed me that he had been detained there for 9 days. He did not find the conditions in the cell satisfactory. In visiting the cell it was noticeable that there was no toilet and that a corner of the room was used as a toilet. There was neither mat nor blanket in the cell which measured about 2m per 3m with poor ventilation. Visit to Tombouctou Prison DNAPES had informed the Registrar of my visit. After a short discussion with the registrar, he took me round the prison. A meeting with the inmates alone concluded the visit. The prison was built in 1925 with a maximum capacity of 500. But because sections of it collapsed, and the remainder may soon do so, it now has a very reduced capacity. Prisoners were no longer being brought from Bamako. At the time of the visit there were 36 inmates of whom only 3 had been tried and convicted. The rest were on remand. The prison staff comprised 2 guards (soldiers) and the registrar (civil servant). Each of the two guards works one week of 7 days for 24 hours each day. Each guard does so twice a month. There were no women in the prison, and what used to be the women's wing was being used by men because it was not secure enough. Whenever there were any female prisoners they were kept in the adjutant's house. Because of lack of space women were rarely arrested. Whenever women were detained the authorities endeavoured to release them as soon as possible.