Ekeomah Atuonwu
Togo will allow prison visits to resume on Friday, reversing a two-year ban set to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Family visits are important for many detainees, as they allow relatives to bring food, clothing, and medicine, as they are in many African countries.
“From Friday, April 22nd, inmates’ parents, friends, representatives of NGOs, and civil society will be allowed (visits),” Justice Minister Pius Kokouvi Agbetomey Agbetomey said in a statement released late Tuesday.
Visitors will be required to present proof of Covid-19 vaccination or a PCR test conducted within the previous 72 hours, as well as wear a mask, according to the minister.
Togo enacted the prohibition on April 13, 2020, with the exception of lawyers who had to obtain prior approval.
However, with just 36,969 coronavirus infections reported as of April 19, 2022, 273 of which were fatal, many people thought the action was excessive.
Opposition parties and civil society organizations had been fighting for the reinstatement of jail visits.
“For captives who have been unable to visit their relatives for the previous two years, it has been a nightmare,” Elom Kpade, a lawyer who represents numerous detainees, stated.
“This is a good measure that we were waiting for and that will enable court matters to move forward.”
