smelled of urine. A bucket was placed in the corner for sanitary purposes, and there was no water in the cell. The second tiled cell was slightly larger (around 20 sq.m.) and let in more natural light from vents in the far wall. The cell was also dirty, its dominant smell was of urine, and again there was no furniture at all, except a bucket for sanitation. People were obliged to sleep on the floor in these two cells. Women detained at the gendarmerie were kept in a room off an office. This room was not locked, let in natural light and air, and contained various pieces of office furniture, but no bed or mats for the detainees. There were no toilet facilities in this room. 112.Dantokpa police station, Cotonou (Commissariat de police de Dantokpa), had two large cells (measuring 3m x 3.5m with a height of 3.6m) situated on either side of the open reception area. One was fronted by floor to ceiling bars, with an inset door, placing the person deprived of liberty in that cell in full view of any member of the public entering the station. The other cell was without any window, save a small metal shutter in the solid door. When the shutter was closed, there was no light at all in the cell; the temperature in the cell was 30 degrees centigrade at 21.30 hours. There was no furniture at all in either cell, except for a bucket for sanitation. People held there were obliged to sleep on the floor. The persons interviewed by the delegation complained of the mosquitoes and the fact that the cells were dirty. 113.The Dodji police station in Porto Novo (Commissariat de police de Dodji) offered the most acceptable conditions seen by the delegation. There were two cells, one measuring 1.9m x 3.4m with a height of 2.8m, and one measuring 2.9m x 3.6m with a height of 2.8m. Both cells had access to natural light and ventilation. There was no artificial light at night. The solid cell doors had a small metal window with a flap. The cells were clean; there was a toilet next to the cells to which detainees had free access during the day. At night, detainees were locked in the cells and had to call for a police officer if they wished to use the toilet. At 12.40 the temperature was 32 degrees centigrade in one of the cells with a humidity factor of 74. There was no furniture in the cells and people held there were obliged to sleep on the floor. 114.At the Central police station in Porto Novo (Commissariat Central de Porto Novo), there were two cells, one for men and one for women. The delegation observed a woman in police custody with her 8 month old naked baby. The cell was large, with three solid walls and a fourth consisting of floor to ceiling bars, with a door inset. The cell smelt overpoweringly of urine and faeces. The woman explained that there was no bucket for sanitation in the cell, as the police indicated that they would allow the woman out to use the toilet; however, she had called in vain at night and the baby had defecated in the corner of the cell. The woman had no means of cleaning the cell. Flies buzzed in the cell and the baby had several mosquito bites. In the morning the staff had come and taken her to the toilet near the cell. The delegation also observed a second cell (5m x 4.4m with a height of 2.7m) in which five men were detained. This cell had access to running water as well as a separate area with a toilet and a shower. The cell was dark and smelt foul. 115.At the Gendarmerie of Zogbodomey, there was one small bar-fronted holding cell (2m x 2.4m, with a height of 2.6m) giving on to the main office/reception room. It had no furniture and was holding two persons who slept there overnight. The duty officer reported that, depending on staffing, the detainees could sit on the bench in the office during the day until called to work and could be let out of the cell to go to the toilet. Otherwise they had to use a bucket in the cell. It is worth noting that there was no toilet for detainees or staff at the gendarmerie. There was also no provision of running water. The women’s cell was not currently being used as a cell but as a storage room. Women were reportedly not kept in cells but allowed to sit outside the building during the day, and sleep in the locked offices at night. 116.At the Brigade Territoriale de Bohicon, the detention section of the Brigade de Recherches was made up of four single cells and two large communal cells. There was also a bathroom area, although there was no flushing toilet as the establishment had been without running water for several months. The single cells each measured 3.8m x 0.8m x 3m high and had a solid metal door with a grille window. There was no furniture or bedding in the cells, and the tiled floor was covered in a thick layer of dust. Apparently none of the artificial lights worked. There was a small bucket in the cells used as a toilet. The two communal cells each measured 3.8m x 3.8m and 3.7m high. One wall was entirely made up of a large metal grille so that the whole cell was entirely visible from the corridor. A narrow window gave some natural light. The supply of electricity was reported to be “variable”, and detainees complained that there was no electricity in the cells. The tiled floor of the communal cells was also covered in thick dust. The two bathrooms were in an appalling state with no running water, and both dust and refuse strewn on the floor and in the toilets. According to the gendarmes, detainees had access to these bathrooms, which also had showers, but according to the detainees they used old water bottles to urinate and empty those down the toilets. 117.At Cotonou Central Police Station (Commissariat Central de Cotonou), the men’s cell was large (9.6m x 9.83m), foul smelling and poorly lit with a single neon strip light. At 20:00, the temperature in the cell was 30.5 degrees centigrade, with a humidity factor of 70, giving a heat index of 37 degrees centigrade. A single toilet and shower were located behind a low wall at the back of the cell. The women’s cell was smaller (5.5m x 9.83m), dark and smelled of urine. It had a working shower, from which the detainee was able to obtain water, and windows near the door to the cell. The only available toilet had been blocked by refuse for some time, and piles of refuse including old fish bones covered parts of the cell floor. The temperature was 29.7 degrees centigrade, with a humidity factor of 53. Detainees complained about the mosquitoes, the lack of hygiene, and the heat in the cells due to the exposed tin roof. 118.At the Brigade de Gendarmerie in Séhoué, the single cell was dark, oppressively humid and smelled strongly of urine. The walls of the cell were black with humidity, dirt and mould, the floor was filthy and there was no furniture or bedding. The cell measured 4.15m x 1.94 m and was 2.7m high, with a single narrow window with a grille giving on to the adjacent street. The original large window had been bricked up, which meant very little natural light entered the cell. There was no electricity in the cell. A small well in front of the building was used for water. The detainees had no access to the water and, since there was no running water, the toilet could not be used. 119.At the Commissariat d ’ arrondissement of Ouando, both cells were dirty (one measuring 3.2m x 2.2m and the other 3m x 1.75). There was a toilet and shower next to the cells, and whereas the shower was relatively clean, the toilet was very dirty. The detainees’ only way to access water was to request to be let out of the cells in order to use the water tap in the toilet.