Over 1,500 inmates released from DR Congo's infamous Makala prison

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00:00Asiated prisoners streamed out of Kinshasa's central prison after being freed.

00:04Some jumped for joy, but others were barely able to walk due to the festering open wounds

00:08on their arms and legs. A few of the prisoners were carried out in wheelbarrows.

00:12Known informally as Makala, the prisoners become a byword for inhumane detention conditions in

00:16DR Congo, but the sight of the agonized prisoners still caused a shock in the country.

00:21DR Congo's Justice Minister ordered the release of 1,685 ill prisoners in a televised spectacle

00:27over the weekend in a bid to tackle overcrowding. The move came after 131 inmates lost their lives

00:33in an attempted jailbreak earlier this month, when many of the victims suffocated to death in a crush.

00:40The head of state took pity on you, therefore he gave me the power to free you.

00:44Do you understand?

00:50Yes, it's to enable the government action plan to be implemented.

00:54We are decongesting the prisons and rehabilitating them all.

01:05Justice Minister Constant Mutamba had promised to reduce overcrowding in Congolese prisons

01:09almost immediately after taking office in June. Makala, which was designed in the colonial era

01:14for about 1,500 prisoners, currently holds about 12,000. The government has admitted

01:19that the overcrowding contributed to the large death toll earlier this month.

01:22According to rights groups, most of the inmates are being held in pre-trial detention.

01:27Many struggle to access food and healthcare once inside.

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