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ICRC report on the visit to “Robbeneiland” (Robben Island) Prison on the 1st May, 1964, by Mr G. Hoffmann, Delegate General of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2018

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Extract

On 1 May 1964, Georg Hoffmann, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegate General in Africa, inspected Robben Island Prison, where some twenty days earlier Nelson Mandela was visited for the first time. Having access to political prisoners in apartheid South Africa, the ICRC sought to ensure that detainees lived in decent conditions and were treated humanely.

Information

Type
Reports and documents
Information
International Review of the Red Cross , Volume 98 , Issue 903: Detention: Addressing the human cost , December 2016 , pp. 1067 - 1077
Copyright
Copyright © icrc 2018 

ICRC Historical Archives

The following document comes from the ICRC Archives. The ICRC historical archives collect and preserve ICRC documents dating from the organization's inception to the present day, and make them available for research. The ICRC's historical archives, run by professional archivists and historians, comprise 6,700 linear metres of textual records and a collection of photographs, films and other audio archives.

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The public archives cover the history of the ICRC since its foundation in 1863 to 1975, and are available for consultation, by appointment. If you wish to consult the ICRC Historical Archives in Geneva, you may schedule an appointment via email at .

On 1 May 1964, Georg Hoffmann, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegate General in Africa, inspected Robben Island Prison, where some twenty days earlier Nelson Mandela was visited for the first time. Having access to political prisoners in apartheid South Africa, the ICRC sought to ensure that detainees lived in decent conditions and were treated humanely.

The following is the report of the detention visit conducted by Georg Hoffmann. The document provides a detailed overview of the living conditions, work and medical treatment of detainees, as well as recommendations given to prison authorities after the visit. The report was confidential at the time of writing. It was made public in 2004 and is reproduced for the first time here in the Review.

The ICRC is well known for its work on behalf of people deprived of liberty in connection with armed conflicts and other situations of violence. Also in other circumstances, the ICRC takes action wherever it can, with the aim of securing humane treatment and conditions of detention for all detainees, preventing torture and other forms of ill-treatment, preventing and addressing disappearances, improving detention conditions, restoring and maintaining family contacts, and ensuring respect for legal safeguards. To that end, the ICRC bases its work upon a comprehensive assessment of the situation both inside and outside places of detention, facilitated by constructive, confidential dialogue with the authorities and visits places of detention.Footnote 1

Archival source: ICRC Archives, B AG 225.005-007. Photos © Sarah Roxas/ICRC.

References

1 For more information on the ICRC's approach and action when carrying out prison visits, see ICRC, “What We Do for Detainees”, available at: www.icrc.org/en/document/what-we-do-detainees.