A/HRC/13/39/Add.4 Male detainee, foreigner; had been detained for five weeks; he complained that the conditions were very poor and many people were sick; he had never seen a doctor, and had never been brought before a prosecutor or judge. Black Beach Prison - Malabo Visited on 12 November 2008 General information: Black Beach Prison is located within a military base, where soldiers and families are housed. The Special Rapporteur had to negotiate for almost one hour before he was granted access. He was not allowed to bring camera equipment. The Special Rapporteur spoke with Baltazar Esono Abeso, Jefe de Central Penitenciaria. The actual prison is a complex of two buildings with a courtyard in between. Prisoners could move around freely in the building and the courtyard with the exception of the detainees held in solitary confinement. In the courtyard, a small wooden shack spent shade to a small number of detainees, the rest of the yard was without shelter. The prison guards within the complex were heavily armed. To the right of the courtyard, petty offenders (so-called “bandits”) were held in a large hall where at the time of the visit some 40 detainees were present although there were only 24 mattresses and one dirty toilet. The prison kitchen was also located in this building. The building on the left-hand side was used for prisoners convicted of “political” crimes, women and children and prisoners with a higher level of education (according to national legislation and to the Sergeant in charge, prisoners were separated depending on their level of education). The second floor of this building, which was separated by a horizontal net and accessible via stairs protected by a barred gate, housed the “high security” section consisting of single cells. These were used for solitary confinement of high security prisoners (Simon Mann, Nick du Toit, Cipriano Nguema Mba and others) and as punishment for disciplinary offences for periods up to one month. All the high security prisoners held there, except Simon Mann, were permanently in leg-irons, which were removed shortly before the arrival of the Special Rapporteur. The cells had a small window to the outside, about two meters from the floor, which provided some daylight; electric light was available in every cell, and each cell had video surveillance equipment. The cells measured about 3,5 x 2,5 meters, contained a shower, toilet and sink, which were separated by a low wall. Items in the cells included a bed with mosquito net, chair, fan and bathing utensils. Some detainees convicted of “political” crimes were held on the ground floor together with persons convicted of common crimes. Women slept in separate cells, but could mingle freely with the male detainees during the day. One woman was four months pregnant from a co-prisoner. Juveniles were not separated from adults even during the night. The Special Rapporteur received consistent allegations regarding sexual abuse of minors. Many detainees also reported that corporal punishment was regularly applied close to the portal where all detainees could watch. The prisoners were provided with two meals per day (bread and milk in the morning and rice with some meat in the afternoon). Most of the detainees reported that they suffered from the quasi-total prohibition of visits. Access to medical treatment was restricted and dependent on whether the prisoners were able to cover the related costs themselves. Within the prison complex, an additional building comprised a hall resembling a “court room” (was allegedly used for interrogations) and several rooms, some of which were used as special cells for three military prisoners and two female detainees. The conditions were decent – a room of about 16 sqm with air-conditioning with two mattresses and no 24