CAT/OP/GAB/1 to torture suffered by persons held in custody, including women. The Subcommittee interviewed several defendants in Libreville central police station who showed visible signs of abuse, including a minor under the age of 12, who, at the time of the visit, had not received medical attention. The fact that the basic safeguards described in paragraphs 33–44 above are not implemented facilitates this practice. (ii) Material and sanitary conditions 52. The Subcommittee found during its visit that persons deprived of their liberty were being held in inhuman and degrading conditions. The Subcommittee is alarmed by the appalling sanitary conditions in most of the custody cells visited. It noted the almost systematic absence of toilets, meaning that the detainees hav e to urinate in bottles and defecate in plastic bags in front of everyone, as well as the absence of showers, light and ventilation. In general, there are no mattresses or mats, so that detainees have to sleep on the floor. The Subcommittee also found that men, women and children often share the same cell. The Subcommittee was particularly shocked by the material conditions of detention in the Port-Gentil central police station, which it considered appalling. Detainees are held in a cell that has no natural light and virtually no ventilation, and part of which is used as a rubbish dump and area where the detainees “relieve themselves”. It is into that part of the cell, which is infested by rats and cockroaches, that the families throw the food they bring for the detainees, through a vent hole more than two meters up in the wall. 53. Most of the police stations and gendarmeries visited did not have a budget to provide food for persons held, meaning that detainees were dependent on their families providing for their needs. The Subcommittee was informed that, in some cases, officers paid from their own pockets for food and water for detainees who were not able to count on their families. This means that detainees can remain without food and with only a very limited quantity of water for several days. 54. The Subcommittee reminds the State party that, whenever it deprives a person of liberty, it becomes responsible for that person’s safety and must provide decent conditions of detention. The Subcommittee recommends that the State party take urgent measures to ensure decent and acceptable living conditions in police cells, including by making sure that the cells are cleaned and ventilated and that food and water is provided to any person held in custody. 8 Furthermore, the State party must ensure the separation of detainees, in particular of women and minors, to guarantee their protection, particularly from physical and sexual violence. The Subcommittee recommends that the State party draw up a programme for the refurbishment of cells in line with international standards. B. Prisons (i) Torture and ill-treatment 55. The Subcommittee was able to see the positive effect of the authorities’ commitment to put an end to torture and ill-treatment in prisons, in particular through the recent appointment of new directors who have been given clear and specific instructions in this regard. The directors of the three establishments visited all expressed their intention to make a real difference to the way that detainees are considered and treated and to the management of discipline in the prisons. The Subcommittee was able to see the positive impact of the directors’ personal __________________ 8 12/24 In line with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, specifically arts. 12, 16, 18 and 20. GE. 15-10283