-Caveat Lector- >SAfrica-prisons-AIDS: AIDS-linked deaths in S. African prisons >soar >Agence France-Presse - October 17, 2000 >------------------------------------------------ > >JOHANNESBURG, Oct 17 (AFP) - AIDS-related deaths in South >Africa's prisons increased by about 300 percent from 1995 to >1999, and are expected to continue to soar, an official with a >prisons monitoring group said Tuesday. > >Natural deaths in prisons had increased from 186 in 1995 to 737 >in 1999, with about 90 percent of the deaths estimated to be >linked to AIDS, Gideon Morris, secretary of the group, called the >Office of the Inspecting Judge, told AFP. > >The Office of the Inspecting Judge is an independent organisation >which works in conjunction with prisons in South Africa. > >Already this year, there had been more than 1,000 natural deaths >in prisons, he said. > >"From the post-mortems, they appear to be caused by AIDS in 90 >percent of cases," Morris said. > >An increase in the number of HIV-positive people entering >prisons, the high incidence of rape and overcrowding contributed >to the dramatic escalation in figures, he said. > >"It is estimated that between 70 percent and 80 percent of all >arrested suspects are sodomised by fellow prisoners before they >are even officially charged," Morris told The Star newspaper. > >"Many suspects are raped wihin the first 48 hours of being >detained," he said. > >Last month Correctional Services Minister Ben Skosana said the >number of prisoners known to be HIV-positive had increased from >1,094 in July 1997 to 3,209 in July this year. > >Morris was especially concerned about the high number of >prisoners awaiting trial, about 40 percent of whom he said were >eventually found not guilty. > >About 45,000 prisoners awaiting trial were being held, he said. >"These guys are arrested and placed in side a cell. Within 48 >hours they are usually robbed blind and probably raped," Morris >said. > >Massive overcrowding meant that prisoners could not be properly >segregated, for example to keep gangsters away from prisoners >awaiting trial, and that guards could not properly ensure >control, he said. > >At the end of September, about 151,000 people were in prisons, >which can ideally only accommodate 100,000, he told AFP. > >The department of correctional services moved to ease >overcrowding last month by conditionally releasing 8,500 >awaiting-trial prisoners whose bail had been set at under 1,000 >rand (140 dollars), he said. > >This week the release procedures began of another estimated 7,000 >prisoners who have served half their sentences and were not found >guilty of violent crime, Morris said. > >According to government, 4.2 million South Africans were at the >end of last year living with HIV or AIDS. This was the highest >number in the world, according to the UN's AIDS project, UNAIDS. > >001017 >AF001045 <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
