Papua New Guinea: Officers responsible for prisoner killings must meet justice
| Publisher | Amnesty International |
| Publication Date | 15 May 2017 |
| Cite as | Amnesty International, Papua New Guinea: Officers responsible for prisoner killings must meet justice, 15 May 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5919b0e84.html [accessed 25 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Responding to the killing by Papua New Guinea security forces of 17 prisoners who escaped Buimo jail as part of a mass breakout, Amnesty International's Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Champa Patel, said:
"The Papua New Guinea authorities must immediately order an independent and effective investigation into these killings. They must suspend any officers involved until the investigation is concluded, and hold suspected perpetrators to account through fair trials without recourse to the death penalty. It is alarming that the security forces' first response was to use lethal force against unarmed people without any concern for their right to life.
"Poor sanitary conditions, overcrowding, and long remand periods have sparked mass breakouts before. Prison reforms and accountability mechanisms are crucial to stop these incidents from happening again. Whatever the crime committed by inmates, they have the right to be treated humanely."
