This image showing overcrowded prisoners at the Ngaragba detention center does not pertain to the Central African Republic. Instead, it depicts overcrowding in a prison in Benin and was published in an article by aCotonou.com on August 17, 2020.
An image circulated on social media since February 26, 2023, by an internet user claims to show prisoners from the Ngaragba detention center protesting due to inhumane and degrading conditions they have been subjected to.
“Central African Republic: Prisoners at the Ngaragba Detention Center Forced to Eat Leftovers from MINUSCA Soldiers…” reads the caption of the post.
Be cautious of this image; it is out of context and not related to the CAR.
Why is this image out of context?
A simple reverse image search using tools like Reverse Image Search and Yandex revealed the true source of the image.
The image shows overcrowding in a Beninese prison, not in the CAR. An article written by AFP and available on the Beninese site aCotonou.com reads, “Benin: A UN Committee Condemns Overcrowding in Prisons.” The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) called on Benin to “take measures to combat prison overcrowding and alleviate the suffering of detainees” after conducting surprise visits to the country.
The UN expert delegation made unexpected visits to Abomey, Cotonou, and Porto-Novo, including a police station, three civil prisons, and a juvenile center.
Further research using keywords like “UN committee condemns prison overcrowding Benin” on Google led us to several articles on this topic, including on the UN Story site and VOA Africa with the same image.
Beware of images and videos circulating widely on social media, as they may not be accurate.
Michael Ndamoyen / AFC
This article is produced in partnership with AFC-Internews, funded by USAID under the INSPIRE project. However, the content does not reflect the partner’s responsibility.
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