Inside Melrose

The high-security prison of Melrose holds foreign detainees under conditions that contradict the human-rights agreements Mauritius has signed with the United Nations, Amnesty International and the African Commission.

Pre-trial remand

Detainees can wait up to eight years for a trial while FSL and IT-unit reports are delayed year after year. During this time they are presumed innocent — yet held in concrete units with no program, no education, and almost no contact with their families.

The right to a fair trial

With an officer listening to every call, detainees cannot speak privately with their lawyers. The right to an effective defence is systematically undermined.

We are calling on the international community to pay attention.