Responding to the killing by Papua New Guinea security forces of 17 prisoners who escaped Buimo jail as part of a mass breakout last Friday, 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.”