Another death behind bars shakes Naples. Alhagie Konte, 27, a Gambian citizen detained in Poggioreale prison, died a few days ago at the Cotugno hospital from advanced tuberculosis. The young man, according to what was reported by the refugee and migrant movement of Napoli, he would not have received timely medical care despite the clear symptoms that, for weeks, had been signaling the rapid worsening of his condition.
“Severe pain, persistent cough, evident debilitation: no one intervened until his cellmates called for help.”, the movement wrote in a statement. Only then would Alhagie be transferred to the prison medical ward and then to Cotugno, when it was already too late.
The Naples Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation to shed light on the situation, ordering the seizure of the body and medical records to determine whether the prison and healthcare systems were responsible.
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“How is it possible to die of tuberculosis in prison, in 2025, in the hands of the State?”, asks the migrant movement, recalling how Alhagie had been an active part of their community since 2018. He was a cheerful, generous, and committed young man. He had returned to his studies and believed in the future. His death is a profound sorrow and a disgrace for the institutions.
Alhagie's case, activists emphasize, is not an isolated one. In just a few months, other detainees and migrants have died in similar conditions: Mamadou Sylla in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Moussa Diarra in Verona, and Ousmane Sylla in the Ponte Galeria CPR. “These deaths – they write – They tell of a system that abandons, discriminates, and kills. While the death penalty doesn't exist on paper in Italy, we know full well that you can still die in prison and under the state. Especially if you're poor, alone, or a foreigner. The migrant community of Naples has launched a fundraiser to repatriate Alhagie's body and support his family in Gambia.
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