The family members of a 41-year-old pretrial detainee, who died while serving a prolonged pretrial detention at the Tubmanburg Prison Center in Bomi County, are calling for justice.The family of the deceased charged with Theft Of Property, Criminal Conspiracy, And Criminal Facilitation have threatened to drop his corpse at the Guttri Magisterial Court.
Boimah Lassana was pronounced dead on arrival (DOA) by health workers on January 14, 2024 at the Liberian Government Hospital in Tubmanburg, after being unconscious for several hours in his prison cell. He had been serving pretrial detention since October 31 of last year by the Guttri Magisterial Court in Bomi County.
Family members said that he was never brought before the court to answer to the allegations until his demise, and are staging a protestation before the Guttri Magisterial Court, claiming that their deceased relative was falsely accused and did not get justice, and are threatening to drop the dead man before the court to be adjudged before his interment.
Article 11 of the UDHR says, “Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
Also, Article 21 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia provides that, “Everyone shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty before the court in accordance with the applicable law.”
While Article 12 of the ICESCR, which provides for the right to health, states that “[the] parties to the present covenant recognize the right to everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”
As per the standard of these local and international human rights provisions, the rights of the deceased, who did not get the opportunity to be treated on his health, was violated by the State.
However, reports from the county claimed that the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation is yet to receive the corpse of the 41-year-old to be turned over to his family for burial.
Some family members are calling on justice actors in the county to ensure that cases of prolonged pretrial detention are fast tracked and adequately disposed of. According to them, the prison facility is a death trap for people committed to it, because it lacks basic services such as proper health care, good nutrition, clean and conducive sleeping facility, as well as rest and leisure.
