LIBERIA: Lorpu, “Every day and night I cry”

MONROVIA, 15 January 2009 (IRIN) - “I have been in jail for the past three months. I was accused of stealing a cell phone from my neighbor’s house. I have told the authorities that I was not involved. But they are delaying for me to have my day in court.

“Every day and night I cry, wondering when will I leave this place that looks like hell.

“The conditions here are appalling. I cannot bear it any longer. Sometime we get sick and there is no treatment.

“I am a single mother with two children. Their father died in the war. They depend on me for their daily bread. At the moment they are [staying] with my friend. I am really concerned about how they are coping. I hope they are doing well and with God’s help I will see them soon.

“Our cell is overcrowded. There is no way to have free movement. Sometime the prison authorities deny us from seeing our relatives. On many occasions we have to give prison guards bribes…to see our families.

“Our food is not adequately prepared and we don’t eat on time.

“But what worries me [so] much is the long time we spent in prison without going to court to explain our side of the story. The nightmare needs to come to an end.”

pc/aj/np

Theme(s): Governance, Health & Nutrition, Human Rights, Urban Risk,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]