Seychelles

Archipelago consisting of 115 islands, most of which uninhabited. 98% of the population (of less than 100,000) live on the so-called inland islands, a group of 42 islands comprising about half of the country's land area. When the British gained control of the islands during the Napoleonic Wars, they allowed the French upper class to retain their land. Both the French and British settlers used enslaved Africans, and although the British prohibited slavery in 1835, African workers continued to come. Thus the Gran blan ("big whites") of French origin dominated economic and political life.

For some years (ca. 2011-2015) the Seychelles had the world's highest incarceration rate ranging between 799 and 868 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, relegating the USA to second place. According to the research officer at Montagne Posee, Sam Dodin, 70% of the inmates at Montagne Posee owed their incarcderation to drug related offences.

The release of 150 drug related prisoners in late 2016 resulted in 448 per 100,000 by March 2018 and put the USA back in the leading position. Nota bene: the country's actual population at that time was/is lower than 100,000, namely 96,720.

2017 - Seychelles has at least 1,000 heroin users, and 2.3% of the 90,000 population are intravenous drug users, among the worst rates in the world. The addicts have only appeared in recent years, with fast economic growth, income inequality, and rapid social change - all this on the drug trafficking routes between Afghanistan and East Africa.

2016 November - Seychelles judiciary releases 150 drug offenders as new law comes into effect. ... "For example the indicative minimum for aggravated manufacture, importation or trafficking in a class A drug like heroin, the most serious offence is 20 years and the maximum is life while the indicative minimum for aggravated cultivation of a class B drug like cannabis is eight years and the maximum is 20 years,” she said. Traffickers can now be prosecuted for any quantity of drugs, including fake ones, even when those have been manipulated to keep them below the statutory threshold. According to the Seychelles prison services there are currently nearly 80 convicts -- 59 men and 19 women -- serving sentences for drug-related offences out of over 400 prisoners. Twenty-nine men are also being remanded in relation to drug offences.

2016 - American sisters found dead in $1,800-a-night Seychelles villa had fluid on their lungs often linked to drug overdoses, authorities say - as locals tell of 'cocaine ... The sisters pictured in a September 19 photo while on vacation in Seychelles. .... ' It is a big problem here and lots of tourists taken the drug.

"Prison conditions and overcrowding in Montagne Posee Prison, the main prison, significantly improved during the year. On June 1, implementation of the Misuse of Drugs Act decriminalized possession of small amounts of cannabis. Consequently, authorities released approximately 160 prisoners because their convictions were overturned. No remand detainees, however, were released based on this change. ..On March 21, the newspaper Seychelles Nation reported the death of Montagne Posee Prison inmate Robert Banane. Prison officials initially stated that Banane died of a fall but later stated that he was shot. Sixty fellow inmates signed a letter sent to weekly newspaper Le Seychellois Hebdo stating Banane died while fighting for the right of inmates to be treated humanely.-...An ombudsman may make recommendations to the National Assembly and the president to improve conditions for prisoners and detainees but had no authority to enforce such recommendations. Although the ombudsman is required to issue an annual report on inmate complaints and on investigations into human rights abuses and corruption, she did not do so for at least three years." (U.S. Human Rights Report 2016).

2015 On a visit to the Takamaka Rum distillery and the Morne Blanc tea factory, locals tell us they relish their life on an idyllic island but lament the new social problems caused by the rise in drug and alcohol abuse. According to the UN, this tiny island has some of the worst heroin addiction statistics in the world.

Since 2014, the Seychelles have the world's highest rate of imprisonment with (in 2014) 799 per 100,000 inhabitants. With only around 90,000 inhabitants, the islands counted 735 prisoners in 3 prisons, 8% of whom were women.

Weblinks

• Mass Imprisonment in the USA YouTube

• Prisoners Seychelles (global economy)

• BBC online 2013 Imprisoned in paradise

• US Dept of State: Prison conditions were harsh due to overcrowding. Prisoners at Montagne Posee Prison alleged that a fellow inmate’s death resulted from physical abuse. - Physical Conditions:

• Human Rights Länderinfo Seychellen