APRESENTAÇÃO E FORMAÇÃO DO PROJECTO "PÔR-A-ZERO"

Realizou-se nos passados dia 22 e 23 de Outubro, em Lisboa, nas instalações da CUPAV, a apresentação e formação no âmbito do projecto "Pôr-a-Zero" - PaZ, tendo-se contado com a presença do orador, Dan Van Ness, Director Executivo do Centro para a Justiça e Reconciliação da Prison Fellowship International, que também participou no II Congresso Internacional de Justiça Restaurativa.
O referido projecto baseia-se nos princípios de Justiça Restaurativa, visa na medida do possível reparar os efeitos do crime, envolvendo e promovendo o encontro entre vitimas e agressores, permitindo aos participantes interagirem entre si.
Durante a apresentação foi dado a conhecer o projecto PaZ- "Pôr-a-Zero".
Estiveram presentes alguns voluntários, a Dra. Florbela Ferreira, em representação da DGSP, os Directores dos E.P´s de Sintra, Dra. Fátima Corte,e do Linhó, Dra. Otília Gralha. Também esteve presente em representação da APAV, Associação de Apoio à Vítima, o Dr. Frederico Moyano Marques.Igualmente esteve presente a Dra. Tânia Mealha, psicóloga, actualmente investigadora na Universidade do Porto, que se disponibilizou para acompanhar o projecto piloto, bem como a sua avaliação.
Todos os participantes se mostraram bastante interessados.
Já durante a formação foram analisados, em simultâneo pelos voluntários, pelos representantes das entidades supra referidas e pelo orador convidado(num total de cerca de 20 pessoas), os documentos que servem de apoio ao projecto.

A Toxic Justice

A Toxic Justice
By Ronald W. Nikkel

“A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values
is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception
which has nothing sound in it and nothing true.
One who is injured ought not to return the injury,
for on no account can it be right to do an injustice;
and it is not right to return an injury, or to do evil to any man,
however much we have suffered from him.”(Socrates) [i]


In 399 BC, Socrates, the famous Athenian philosopher, stood for trial based on two accusations: "failing to acknowledge the gods that the city acknowledges" and "introducing new deities." On these accusations he was charged with impiety and corrupting the morals of the youth of Athens.[ii] Judged guilty by the majority of votes cast by five hundred jurors, Socrates was sentenced to death by drinking a potion concocted of poison hemlock. As toxic as the potion was that killed Socrates, so was the toxicity of the justice system used by those in power to protect their familiar gods and the social status quo of Athens.

For justice to be served, it must not only seek and uphold that which is true, but it must be administered in such ways and by such means that do not undermine or violate the purpose of justice, or be unjust in addressing a wrong. The purpose of a criminal justice system is simply to deliver equal justice for all - protecting the innocent, assisting victims, and prosecuting offenders in order to create a more peaceful society.

However our delivery of justice typically falls short of that purpose and becomes toxic. A toxic justice is justice done and delivered in such a way that it has the unintended (or intended in some circumstances) consequence of damaging people and the good of society. Toxic justice is evidenced –


When victims are ignored and their pain and loss are overlooked.
When courts and legal systems are tools of political and economic self-interest in the hands of those with money and power.
When the public wants to “lock offenders up and throw away the key,” expecting tough prison sentences to turn criminals into citizens.
When the wrongful actions of addicts are punished while their addictions go untreated.
When justice that is inordinately delayed, essentially becomes justice denied.
When the outcomes of serving prison sentences are homelessness, unemployment, divorce, poverty, and still more crime (recidivism).
When prosecutors make deals with offenders to bolster their conviction rates.
When police manipulate evidence or take the law into their own hands.
When access to good legal representation is beyond the reach of the poor.
When society’s voyeuristic fascination with crime and violence feeds a culture of fear and revenge.
When imprisonment causes families to fall apart and the children of prisoners are stigmatized – far more likely to be the next generation of offenders.
When you and I, upstanding law-abiding citizens, are quick to judge and so very sceptical and slow to lend a helping hand to men and women coming out of prison.
When we don’t really know what justice looks like, or what we should expect to see when justice is really done.

During visits with thousands of people involved with criminal justice, I have met many who have a vision and passion for justice that makes things right, healing the damage done by crime, and helping offenders take responsibility for their actions. Yet, we live in a world tainted by corruption, greed, and conflict. Our systems of justice are in as much need of reformation as are the offenders we seek to correct. Much of what we accept as justice is actually toxic, and the collateral damage is seen in the broken lives of victims, families of offenders, offenders, and in fearful communities..

It would be naïve to think that any justice system can ever be perfectly just. But, as followers of Jesus we are called not to judgment and revenge but to seek justice that brings reconciliation and peace, healing, and restoration; to work for the good of victims, offenders, their families, and the well being of our communities.

So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness, for brightness but we walk in deep shadows.
Like the blind we grope along the wall feeling our way like men without eyes.
At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead…
Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has tumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.
Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey…
The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene….[iii]




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[i] http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/socrates_2.html#ixzz1bcmmE2rY
[ii] http://reemreginatatar.com/literature/socrates.html
[iii] Excerpts from Isaiah 59:9-16




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Ronald W. Nikkel, PFI President & CEO
Ron has served as PFI's president since 1982. Widely recognized as an expert on criminal justice issues, Ron has visited more than 1,000 prisons in every region of the world and met with church and political leaders, as well as criminal justice officials.

Ron's new devotional book Radical Love in a Broken World, featuring daily meditations, is now available on Amazon.com as is his previous book Your Journey with Jesus.

To Learn more about Prison Fellowship International, visit www.pfi.org

Presos palestinos comienzan a abandonar las cárceles israelíes

JERUSALEN, 18 (Reuters/EP)



Los presos palestinos han comenzado a abandonar en la madrugada del martes las cárceles israelíes con motivo del pacto suscrito entre el Gobierno de Israel y Hamás para la excarcelación de 1.027 palestinos a cambio de la liberación del soldado hebreo Gilad Shalit, capturado en junio de 2006, según testigos citados por Reuters.



Al parecer, vehículos cargados con presos palestinos han comenzado a abandonar las prisiones hebreas. El primero de ellos trasladaría a mujeres palestinas desde la cárcel central de Israel hasta Cisjordania, acompañadas de personal de seguridad egipcio, que participa en este proceso de excarcelaciones.



Las liberaciones han comenzado pocas horas después de que el Tribunal Supremo de Israel rechazara los recursos presentados por las familias de las víctimas de los atentados perpetrados por los presos que serán excarcelados para impedir la aplicación de este acuerdo.



Según el calendario anunciado por Israel, este mismo martes Shalit será liberado, lo que dará pie al comienzo de las excarcelaciones de palestinos. En una primera fase serán liberados 450 reos, a los que se sumarán 550 en los próximos dos meses.

FUENTE

MEXICO: Analizan sistema penitenciario

Directores de las cárceles del país buscan mejorar las condiciones de las prisiones

Tijuana.- Entre el hacinamiento y la cuestionada readaptación que se hacen en los penales del país, se llevó a cabo este lunes la sexta edición de la Conferencia Nacional del Sistema Penitenciario en el hotel Camino Real de Tijuana con la presencia de los principales directores de las cárceles del noroeste de México.

El gobernador de Baja California, José Guadalupe, presumió durante la inauguración del evento el trabajo que su gobierno ha hecho en las cárceles del estado.

Manifestó que han realizado importantes mejoras en las prisiones estatales, sobre todo en los rubros de sobrepoblación, que pasó de un 87 por ciento de hacinamiento en 2008 a un 13 por ciento actual; y en crear un arquetipo integral de reinserción social de reos.

Sin embargo, la presidenta de la Comisión de Familiares de Internos y Ex Internos del Sistema Penitenciario, Alicia Aguilar,

señaló en entrevista que el estado aún está lejos de presentar un modelo digno de readaptación.

“Tenemos documentados

casos de torturas en los penales de La Mesa (Tijuana) y El Hongo (Tecate) y al menos una docena de amenazas de motines en los últimos dos años por las condiciones en las que se encuentran los internos. Todavía hay en algunas celdas de Tijuana de 20 a 30 reos. En esas condiciones no se puede lograr una buena reinserción”, dijo Aguilar.

Para Osuna, el sistema penitenciario avanza en la construcción de un modelo humano y eficiente. Su gobierno ha puesto énfasis en las actividades enfocadas en la capacitación, la prevención de la reincidencia, educación y salud del prisionero.

En el estado se ha realizado una transformación de los centros de readaptación social, dijo el mandatario estatal en la conferencia, donde principalmente se ha combatido el hacinamiento al trasladar más de dos mil internos en las instalaciones de El Hongo.

Osuna explicó que construyeron 7 mil 254 nuevos espacios en los penales del estado

y con ello abatieron la sobrepoblación que tenían de un 87 por ciento en 2008 a un 13 por ciento actual; su meta es bajar hasta un 3 por ciento el próximo año.

En septiembre de 2008 sucedieron dos motines en el penal de La Mesa a raíz de que custodios asesinaran a un reo tras torturarlo. En el siniestro murieron oficialmente al menos 23 personas.

Los ponentes a la Conferencia Nacional del Sistema Penitenciario expusieron cinco puntos fundamentales para mejorar la calidad de vida de los internos: trabajo, capacitación, educación, salud y deportes.

El subsecretario del Sistema Penitenciario de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública federal, José Patricio Patiño, quien encabezó el acto, dijo que la federación comenzará un proceso de certificación de las prisiones estatales con el fin de mejorar las condiciones actuales.

Además, agregó, pretenden comenzar a trasladar a prisioneros acusados por delitos federales en Baja California y la Ciudad de México a cárceles de máxima seguridad conocidos como Ceferesos (Centros Federales de Readaptación Social).

FUENTE

Trois prisonniers ont été exécutés à Semnan (dans le nord de l’Iran)

Iran Human Rights, le 12 octobre : selon l’agence de presse gouvernementale iranienne IRNA, trois prisonniers ont été pendus dans l’enceinte de la prison de Semnan, hier matin, le mardi 11 octobre.

Selon la dépêche, les hommes ont été identifiés comme A. S. (43 ans) condamné pour possession de 31 kilos de crack, A. J. (44 ans) condamné pour possession et transport de 1,8 kilo de crack et R. G. (43 ans) condamné pour possession et transport de 13,65 kilos de crack.

Les chefs d’inculpation n’ont pas été confirmés par des sources indépendantes
in http://iranhr.net/spip.php?article2320

Justice from the Dark Side

By Ronald W. Nikkel

As protestors numbering in the tens of thousands marched and occupied financial and political centres around the world, I found myself resonating with their outrage against the injustice of economic exploitation. I too have been hurt by declining investment values while those who manage my meagre investment funds seem to profit ever more. Something is terribly wrong in the world when the gulf between the rich and powerful interests and the poor and powerless grows ever wider. Why should investment managers and wealthy financial institutions profit ahead of those who entrust them with their funds?

Last week, in the aftermath of another Christian church being burned in Egypt, Christians rallied in protest against the injustice they feel as an oppressed religious minority. Witnessing this injustice, many Muslims resonated with the Christians’ cause and courageously marched in public support and solidarity with their Christian friends and neighbours.

During his struggle for civil rights, Martin Luther King, Jr. was imprisoned for his public “disobedience” in protesting the injustice of inequality and discrimination suffered by African Americans. Writing from Birmingham Jail he observed prophetically that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”[i] When one group in society is allowed to suffer chronic injustice, society itself will be neither safe nor secure.

Plato, the Greek philosopher of the fourth century BC, said that justice is a quality of the soul – a virtue by which people forego their innate desire to taste every pleasure and to get selfish satisfaction at the expense of others. Writing at a time when Athenian democracy was on the verge of ruin, Plato wrote against the “amateurishness, meddlesomeness, and political selfishness which were undermining Athenian society.[ii] The city-state had become divided between the rich and poor, the oppressed and the oppressors; the only antidote to pervasive injustice in society was for “justice” to reign supreme. But the question is – what is justice? Plato spent much of his life working to describe and define the nature of justice as the fundamental virtue of a well-ordered society.

However, defining justice comprehensively is difficult, and one commentator suggested that in the end Plato may not have fully known what justice is, but he certainly knew what it is not. Some years ago I read a thought-provoking book entitled “What War Taught Me About Peace”[iii] in which the author explored an understanding of the nature of peace derived from his experience of its opposite - war. When it comes to justice, it seems to me as well, that injustice is far easier to define and describe than justice.

The words of injustice are many - oppression, transgression, exploitation, discrimination, segregation, inequality, inequity, partiality, bias, malice, prejudice, unfairness, violence, abuse, misuse, malfeasance, partisanship, favourtism, maltreatment, and many more. We so clearly see and understand what justice is not, especially when we personally suffer wrong from the attitudes and actions of other groups and individuals; or from discriminatory and exploitive bureaucratic, political, economic, social, and even religious “powers that be.” As a result, we are more prone to rail against the tangible injustices we know than to work for the justice we can’t fully comprehend. And so our criminal justice systems reflect society’s negative or punitive response to crime and injustice, much more than being a positive and pro-active process of developing a more just society.

For Plato, a just society was not simply comprised of just laws, equitable systems, and fair treatment, but one that is comprised of virtuous individuals. He saw justice as a societal virtue that cannot exist independently from wisdom, courage, and self-discipline, which are the virtues of the people in that society. Inasmuch as injustice reflects the immorality of people and society, justice reflects the moral character of society. Justice in any society is not only about how we respond to crime and treat offenders – it is comprehensively about advancing and protecting the wellbeing and peace of all people in that society.

Finally, remember that we cannot give what we do not have. If we do not love ourselves, we will be hard pressed to love others. If we are not just with ourselves, we will find it very difficult to look for justice with others. In order to become and remain a social justice advocate, you must live a healthy life. Take care of yourself as well as others. Invest in yourself as well as in others. No one can build a house of justice on a foundation of injustice. Love yourself and be just to yourself and do the same with others. As you become a social justice advocate, you will experience joy, inspiration and love in abundant measure.[iv]






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[i] Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963 (Martin Luther King was a black civil rights leader & clergyman in the US)
[ii] http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Anci/AnciBhan.htm
[iii] Robert Muller, “What War Taught me About Peace” (Doubleday, New York, 1985)
[iv] Bill Quigley, Loyola University in New Orleans, is a well known social justice lawyer and activist (as quoted, http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show/326061)





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Ronald W. Nikkel, PFI President & CEO
Ron has served as PFI's president since 1982. Widely recognized as an expert on criminal justice issues, Ron has visited more than 1,000 prisons in every region of the world and met with church and political leaders, as well as criminal justice officials.

Ron's new devotional book Radical Love in a Broken World, featuring daily meditations, is now available on Amazon.com as is his previous book Your Journey with Jesus.

To Learn more about Prison Fellowship International, visit www.pfi.org

Israel publica nomes de 477 presos palestinos libertados

Israel publicou neste domingo os nomes dos primeiros 477 presos palestinos que serão libertados pelo acordo feito com o grupo radical Hamas em troca do soldado Gilad Shalit, dando início à transferência deles, enquanto associações de vítimas do terrorismo pretendem contestar a medida na Corte Suprema do Estado judaico.

Os prisioneiros, distribuídos em 11 prisões israelenses, começaram nesta manhã a ser concentrados em dois centros de detenção. À prisão de Ketziot Prison, no sul do país, serão enviados os 450 homens; à de Sharon, no centro, as 27 mulheres.

Os beneficiados pela troca são denominados por Israel como "prisioneiros de segurança", enquanto os palestinos os consideram "presos políticos". Na lista, destacam-se nomes como Walid Anajas, condenado pelo atentado a bomba contra o Cafe Moment em Jerusalém, no qual 12 civis morreram e 50 ficaram feridos em 2002, informa a edição online do jornal Jerusalem Post.

Entre os 477 está Nasser Yataima, cérebro do ataque suicida contra o Hotel Park de Netanya no qual morreram 30 civis, Chris al-Bandak, detido por assassinar dois israelenses e ferir outro gravemente, e Musab Hashlemon, condenado a 17 penas de prisão perpétua por enviar dois terroristas suicidas contra um ônibus em Beersheba, num atentado que matou 16 civis em 2004.

Outros dos nomes são Ibrahim Jundiya, que cumpre 12 perpétuas, Fadi Muhammad al-Jabaa, condenado a 18 perpétuas, e Mazen Muhammad Faqha, que articulou o atentado de 2002 contra um ônibus perto de Safed, deixando nove passageiros mortos e 40 feridos.

O movimento Hamas não conseguiu o que desde o início das negociações era uma de suas exigências fundamentais: obter a libertação do carismático líder Marwan Barghouti (do Fatah), do líder Abdullah Barghouti (do Hamas), e o líder Ahmed Saadat (da Frente Popular para a Libertação da Palestina), todos eles condenados a penas de prisão perpétua por assassinato.

Segundo a lei israelense, os cidadãos dispõem de um período de 48 horas para fazer suas alegações ao Tribunal Supremo contra a concessão do perdão, que deverá ser assinado individualmente para cada caso pelo presidente Shimon Peres. Até que a troca seja efetivada, previsivelmente na terça-feira, o Ministério da Justiça manterá aberto um centro de informações para atender às solicitações de dados sobre os presos.

No entanto, associações de sobreviventes e familiares de vítimas de ataques terroristas pretendem levar à Justiça a decisão governamental de libertar os prisioneiros palestinos. A Associação Almagor pediu à Justiça que adie a libertação "para permitir às famílias e àqueles que serão prejudicados pelo acordo a examinar os dados e preparar uma apelação adequada".

"Trata-se de um assunto humanitário de um só soldado contra todo um país que estará em perigo. Esta equação deve ser examinada pela Corte Suprema e não deve ser imune a investigação", declarou o presidente da associação, coronel da reserva Meir Indor, ao jornal Ha'aretz.

Esta organização apresenta duas demandas reivindicações: uma contra a libertação de um número de presos tão amplo e a segunda contra o indulto a alguns casos em particular. Segundo informou neste domingo o Serviço Penitenciário, do total de 477 detentos (dentre eles, 27 mulheres), 131 serão enviados a suas casas na Faixa de Gaza, 108 voltarão a seus lares na Cisjordânia e Jerusalém Oriental e cinco palestinos com cidadania israelense retornarão a suas casas em Israel.

Outros 39 serão exilados e 44 irão também para Gaza, embora estes não sejam originais de lá, da mesma forma que outros 17 que permanecerão expatriados na Faixa durante três anos.

Ao mesmo tempo em que os réus palestinos são transferidos aos postos de controle israelenses, as brigadas de Ezzedeen Al-Qassam - braço armado do Hamas - entregarão o soldado israelense Gilad Shalit, mantido refém desde junho de 2006 quando foi capturado nos arredores de Gaza numa operação que matou outros dois soldados israelenses.

Shalit, que nos mais de cinco anos de cativeiro nunca teve direito a receber assistência humanitária internacional, será levado ao posto de controle fronteiriço de Rafah, onde será entregue às autoridades egípcias, que assumirão sua entrega ao Exército israelense. Representantes do Comitê Internacional da Cruz Vermelha participarão do processo.

A segunda fase da troca será realizada em cerca de dois meses, quando Israel libertará outros 550 presos palestinos cujos nomes ainda serão decididos pelo Estado judaico. Por isso, provavelmente serão prisioneiros que cumprem penas leves.

FONTE

Líbia mantém até 7.000 pessoas em prisões precárias, diz ONU

Por Stephanie Nebehay
GENEBRA (Reuters) - Até 7.000 pessoas estão sendo mantidas em dezenas de prisões improvisadas na Líbia, e há sérias acusações e algumas evidências de que o novo governo do país comete torturas contra presos, disse a Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) nesta sexta-feira.

O Conselho Nacional de Transição (CNT, o governo provisório) não tem um sistema claro de triagem e registro dos detentos, o que facilita os maus tratos, segundo Mona Rishmawi, alta funcionária do órgão de direitos humanos da ONU, que passou uma semana na Líbia.

Entre os presos há pessoas detidas sem documentos em barreiras rodoviárias, supostos mercenários de várias regiões, combatentes leais ao deposto regime de Muammar Gaddafi, capturados nos campos de batalha, ou indivíduos que simplesmente apareciam em listas de pessoas a serem detidas, segundo ela.

"Há milhares de pessoas detidas, estamos falando em um grande número. Podem ser até 7.000", disse Rishmawi, chefe do departamento que analisa questões relativas ao estado de direito.

Ao todo, acredita-se que haja 67 prisões improvisadas na Líbia, ao passo que o regime de Gaddafi tinha poucas penitenciárias de grande porte, segundo ela.

O Comitê Internacional da Cruz Vermelha já visitou pelo menos 40 instalações carcerárias líbias, mas suas conclusões serão apresentadas apenas às autoridades relevantes, disse um porta-voz da entidade nesta sexta-feira à Reuters.

FONTE

BRASIL: O Sistema Prisional Brasileiro tem Solução: a Municipalização (I)

O termo municipalização refere-se, especificamente, ao compartilhamento da responsabilidade da União e do Estado com o município, de forma progressiva e gradual, da execução das ações na área do sistema penitenciário, tanto em relação ao preso condenado como ao preso provisório, respeitadas as peculiaridades de cada município.

FONTE

Burma: Release Remaining Political Prisoners

(London) The release of at least 120 political prisoners in Burma should be followed by legal and policy reforms to ensure respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, Human Rights Watch said today.
On October 12, 2011, the Burmese government released at least 120 political prisoners, including famed comedian Zargana, and female labor activist Su Su Nway. Their release was part of a government amnesty of 6,359 prisoners said to be of “old age, suffering poor health and disability [and] whose moral behavior has improved after serving an appropriate amount of time.” The government did not say how many political detainees were included.

“Those political prisoners released have suffered immeasurably and should never have been put in Burma’s miserable jails in the first place,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The laws that put them behind bars are still on the books and can be used again at any time. If the government wants to show it is really different from its predecessors, it should convene parliament and repeal laws criminalizing peaceful political speech.”

Human Rights Watch called on the Burmese government to ensure that all prisoners sentenced for peaceful political activities, regardless of whether charges stemmed from security laws or criminal charges designed to suppress dissent, are immediately and unconditionally released.

Following peaceful protests in August and September 2007, the number of political prisoners in Burma effectively doubled, to an estimated 2,100, when security forces rounded up members of the 88 Generation Students, Buddhist monks and nuns, journalists, and other activists. Many political detainees were sentenced under vague provisions of the Penal Code and Associations Act, designed to limit freedom of association, assembly, and expression, or under the Electronic Transactions Act, which has been used to prosecute people for giving interviews to foreign media or sending information abroad.

In some cases, the authorities brought trumped-up charges of possession of explosives, firearms, or pornography, or politically motivated prosecutions under draconian laws such as the 1975 State Protection Act, or on arcane Penal Code provisions for sedition, insulting religion, or calling for an army mutiny. Human Rights Watch’s 2009 report “Burma’s Forgotten Prisoners” featured many of the prominent political prisoners and details of their arrests and trials.

Many political prisoners including the democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the comedian Zargana, and the 88 Generation Students leader Min Ko Naing have been periodically released and then re-arrested. Zargana was incarcerated between 1988 and 1989, between 1989 and 1993, and for a month in 2007 following his support for the demonstrations led by Buddhist monks. Authorities arrested him again in May 2009 following his criticism of the government’s handling of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, and sentenced him to 59 years in prison – later reduced to 35 years – under the Electronic Transactions Act.

Min Ko Naing was imprisoned between 1989 and 2004, the majority of which was spent in solitary confinement, and was detained again in late 2006 for a few months. His current term began in August 2007, when police arrested him for protesting rising commodity prices. He, and 35 of his colleagues, were sentenced to 65 years in prison on several charges.

“For decades there’s been a revolving door in and out of Burma’s prisons for many political activists,” Pearson said. “The real test will be whether the government stops putting people in prison for speaking their minds and criticizing the government or military.”

Human Rights Watch urged the Burmese government, in addition to fully and unconditionally releasing all political prisoners, to undertake the following reforms and policy changes:

•Repeal all laws that restrict the internationally recognized rights to free expression, association, and assembly, and order security forces to cease arresting people for engaging in peaceful activism;
•Begin political reform prior to by-elections slated for the end of 2011 by amending the Political Party Registration Law to guarantee opposition parties such as the National League for Democracy full political participation, with no restrictions on members who have been imprisoned; and
•Adopt measures to end abuses by the military in ethnic conflict areas, including summary killings, attacks on civilians, torture, and forced labor, and allow humanitarian organizations and human rights monitors access to conflict areas.
“The release of political prisoners could signal a new phase in promoting respect for human rights in Burma, but it is not the only benchmark,” Pearson said. “Ending ongoing military abuses in ethnic conflict areas is no less important than easing restrictions in Rangoon.”

Correction: An earlier version of this press release incorrectly stated that U Gambira, a Buddhist monk and 2007 protest leader, had been released. He remains in prison.

SOURCE

Myanmar likely to free "prisoners of conscience"

YANGON — Reclusive Myanmar is expected to release a number of political detainees on Wednesday under an amnesty for thousands of prisoners announced after the national human rights commission urged the president to free "prisoners of conscience".

State television said 6,359 prisoners who are "elderly, sick, disabled or have served their punishment with good conduct and character" would be freed on Wednesday, but did not say if political detainees would be among them.

General prisoner amnesties are fairly common in Myanmar. A May amnesty for 14,000 inmates included just 47 political prisoners, which human rights activists called a token gesture.

But there may be more reason for optimism this time.

One lawmaker, who attended a meeting on Friday in the capital, Naypyitaw, told Reuters the release of political prisoners could come "in a few days". He said that was the message given by Shwe Mann, the lower house speaker.

In an open letter published on Tuesday, Win Mra, chairman of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, wrote that prisoners who did not pose "a threat to the stability of state and public tranquility" should be released.

."The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission humbly requests the president, as a reflection of his magnanimity, to grant amnesty to those prisoners and release them from the prison," the letter ended.

The commission was formed last month by President Thein Sein, a former general but who took over this year as the first civilian head of state in half a century.

The open letter marks a significant shift in the former British colony, also known as Burma, where authorities have long refused to recognize the existence of political prisoners, usually dismissing such detainees as common criminals.

There have been other significant signs of change since the army nominally handed over power in March to civilians after elections in November, a process ridiculed at the time as a sham to cement authoritarian rule behind a democratic facade.

Recent overtures by the government have included calls for peace with ethnic minority guerrilla groups, some tolerance of criticism and more communication with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released last year from 15 years of house arrest.

"It raises the question of whether the government is indeed moving toward some serious relaxation of its control of the population and of the way politics works in Myanmar," said Milton Osbourne, Southeast Asia analyst at Australia's Lowy Institute for International Policy.

The government has faced pressure for change on multiple fronts - from the wildly popular Suu Kyi to the need to find alternatives to China in the face of popular resentment of its influence, to growing frustration in Southeast Asia over Myanmar's isolation as the region approaches an EU-style Asian community in 2015.

Diplomats say other factors play into Myanmar's desire to open up, include a need for technical assistance from the World Bank and other multilateral institutions which cut off ties years ago in response to rights abuses.

The country's infrastructure is in shambles and its economy has few sources of growth beyond investment from China and Thailand, and about 30 percent of the population living in poverty, according to U.N. data.

Some analysts say Myanmar also wants to show the United States that it is independent of China.

Last week, the government suspended a $3.6 billion, Chinese-led dam project, a victory for supporters of Suu Kyi and a sign the country was willing to yield to popular resentment over China's growing influence.

These moves have stoked hopes the new parliament will slowly prise open the country of 50 million people that just over 50 years ago was one of Southeast Asia's wealthiest as the world's biggest rice exporter and a major energy producer.

Nestled strategically between economic powerhouses India and China, Myanmar has been one of the world's most difficult destinations for investors, restricted by sanctions, blighted by 49 years of oppressive military rule and starved of capital despite rich natural resources, from gems to timber to oil.

In November 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama offered Myanmar the prospect of better ties if it pursued democratic reform and freed political prisoners, including opposition leader Suu Kyi.

But Washington's demands go beyond prisoners, making it unclear whether it would lift sanctions if the prisoners are released.

The United States has also demanded more transparency in Myanmar's relationship with North Korea and an end to human-rights abuses involving ethnic minorities in remote regions bordering Thailand and China.

A European diplomat in Bangkok said many European countries had privately urged the European Union to ease sanctions if prisoners were released and Suu Kyi changed her stance.

The EU was waiting to see how many political prisoners would be freed, an EU official said, adding that the release of a large number would be "an important step in building confidence with the international community that the government is serious about reform".

However, the official said he did not detect any rush toward lifting sanctions.

"While we have left open the possibility of a review, we are only scheduled to come back to this issue next April," he said.

In Tokyo, a foreign ministry official said Japan had resumed some aid to Myanmar in June after the release of Suu Kyi and other signs of reform.

"We may continue with this stance if there are more releases of political prisoners," the official said. "Work still needs to be done in terms of democracy but we think they are moving in the right direction."

Myanmar also appears to be trying to convince the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to allow it to take its rotating presidency in 2014, two years ahead of schedule and a year before the next general election.

It is unclear whether all political prisoners would be released at once, or indeed how many would be freed.

Nyan Win, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, said he had not heard whether political detainees would be freed. Families of prisoners also had not been told.

"We are still trying to find out," said Ma Nyein, sister-in-law of Zar Ga Nar, a jailed comedian and government critic.

SOURCE

ENLACE GLOBAL 11

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LIEN GLOBAL OCTOBRE 11

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Cadeia de Angra em risco de ficar sem água quente e sem roupa lavada

A Cadeia de Angra do Heroísmo está em risco de entrar no ano novo sem abastecimento de gás e com o serviço de lavandaria suspenso.


A direcção geral dos serviços prisionais não paga à lavandaria há quase um ano, estando por resolver igualmente ainda o concurso para o fornecimento de gás para o ano de 2012.

A antena 1 açores sabe que os processos seguiram de Angra do Heroísmo nos prazos previstos na lei, mas Lisboa não os despachou, não fazendo qualquer pagamento, nem abrindo qualquer concurso.

O estabelecimento prisional da ilha Terceira corre assim o risco de ficar sem água quente para reclusos e guardas, e sem roupa lavada.

FONTE

VENEZUELA: Gobierno debe precisar cómo mejorará las cárceles

El compromiso gubernamental de sanear el sistema penitenciario, adelantado por el canciller Nicolás Maduro, es uno de los logros del Examen Periódico Universal sobre la situación de los derechos humanos en Venezuela que se desarrolla en la Organización de las Naciones Unidas.

Aunque Maduro no precisó las medidas específicas que se tomarán para disminuir el hacinamiento y la violencia en las prisiones venezolanas, los países que se interesaron en el asunto basaron sus intervenciones en los señalamientos de las organizaciones no gubernamentales venezolanas.

En el informe remitido al Consejo de Derechos Humanos, el Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones y la ONG Liberados en Marcha señalan que entre 1999 y 2010 murieron 4.506 reclusos y 13.003 resultaron heridos.

Agregan que las medidas de protección acordadas por el sistema interamericano para los reos de las cárceles más violentas del país no han sido efectivamente acatadas por el Estado.

"El trato humano y digno al recluso no ha sido garantizado por el Estado, en vista de la cantidad de maltratos y humillaciones a los que son sometidos los internos durante la realización de las requisas, debido a que estas van acompañadas de golpes y de la destrucción de sus pertenencias. Igualmente, la situación de maltratos se ha extendido a las familias de los presos y demás visitantes", denunció el OVP.

El hacinamiento, documenta la organización, alcanza 356% pues hay 44.552 presos en 33 establecimientos carcelarios, que sólo tienen capacidad para albergar a 12.500.

Descontrol. La ONG Una Ventana a la Libertad hizo énfasis en la ausencia de autoridades estatales en las cárceles, lo cual conduce al autogobierno de los presos, ejercido a través de liderazgos negativos que imponen su voluntad por la fuerza y dirigen los negocios ilegales y enormemente lucrativos.

Entre las recomendaciones de la organización, que fueron reiteradas por varios países que interpelaron al Estado venezolano el viernes 7 de octubre, destacan:

1) Control del acceso de armas de fuego a los establecimientos carcelarios mediante el empleo de mecanismos idóneos de revisión y supervisión, que incluyen la selección de un personal idóneo para esas labores así como la investigación y sanción de los responsables del ingreso de armas.

2) Disminución del número de personas privadas de libertad en los recintos carcelarios para mejorar sus condiciones de vida, pues el hacinamiento de 300% impide la garantía del respeto de los derechos humanos.

3) Celeridad procesal para reducir el alto índice de causas de los reclusos y de esa forma contribuir al descongestionamiento de los recintos carcelarios.

4) Creación de planes de ocupación para la población reclusa, que contribuyan a eliminar los altos índices de violencia.

El Estado venezolano se refirió muy someramente a la situación de las prisiones en el informe remitido a la ONU.

Enunció el Proyecto de Humanización Penitenciaria sin precisar que las metas no han sido cumplidas. Por ejemplo, sólo se construyeron 3 de los 15 establecimientos carcelarios ofrecidos en 2004.


Laura Dupoy: "Aspiramos al provecho para todo el país"

La presidenta del Consejo de los Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas, Laura Dupoy, explicó que la adopción de las propuestas formuladas en el Examen Periódico Universal constituye un acto soberano y un compromiso político de cada Estado, con los cuales se debe comprometer para hacerle seguimiento al avance de los derechos fundamentales de los ciudadanos.

"Esperamos que sea un proceso provechoso para todo el país y el pueblo venezolano", dijo Dupoy sobre la aprobación en Ginebra, Suiza, del informe de la situación de los derechos humanos en Venezuela, reseñó AVN.

En cuanto a las sugerencias que rechace Venezuela, prosiguió Dupoy, la ONU podrá hacerle seguimiento sobre la base de los tratados internacionales suscritos por el país.

Las preguntas y recomendaciones formuladas a Venezuela el 7 de octubre han sido analizadas por un grupo de trabajo integrado por los países que fungen como relatores de la evaluación del Estado (Guatemala, República Checa y Burkina Faso), la Secretaría del Examen Periódico Universal y el representante del Estado ante Naciones Unidas, Germán Mundaraín.

Hoy se debatirá el informe de las propuestas aceptadas y rechazadas por Venezuela. Mundaraín explicó que la reunión durará aproximadamente 30 minutos. "Venezuela estará representada por el canciller Nicolás Maduro, quien determinará cuáles de las consideraciones hechas el viernes en el EPU acoge el país, cuáles serán diferidas para consultarlas con los organismos del Estado y cuáles rechazará", informó AVN.

En marzo de 2012 Venezuela volverá a Ginebra, donde el Consejo de Derechos Humanos revisará el resultado del examen presentado por el país.

"En esa fase, el Estado examinado tiene la oportunidad de presentar sus puntos de vista sobre las conclusiones o recomendaciones de los compromisos y promesas contraídos voluntariamente, podrá responder las preguntas formuladas que no fueron contestadas en el examen y, además, otros actores interesados, como las organizaciones no gubernamentales del país, tendrán la oportunidad de hacer observaciones generales", continuó Mundaraín.

A través de VTV, el agente del Estado, Germán Saltrón, afirmó que muy pocos países han alcanzado los éxitos de Venezuela en materia de derechos humanos. Saltrón cuestionó el tratamiento dado por los medios de comunicación privados al debate en Ginebra.

FUENTE

ANGOLA: Vice-ministro inaugura segundo bloco prisional da Penitenciaria do Sumbe

Sumbe - O segundo bloco prisional da Penitenciaria do Sumbe, província do Kwanza Sul, foi hoje, segunda-feira, inaugurado pelo vice-ministro do Interior para os serviços de protecção civil e bombeiros, Eugénio Laborinho, que destacou as condições de humanização oferecidas aos detidos.




Após o corte da fita inaugural e ter percorrido os compartimentos dos dois pisos do edificio, Eugénio Laborinho disse aos jornalistas que a sua reabilitação enquadra-se no esforço do Executivo em proporcionar, aos reclusos, as condições sociais de acomodação e de assistência médica e medicamentosa no quadro da promoção dos direitos humanos.





"Acho que estamos de parabéns. O Executivo angolano tem estado a fazer tudo para diminuir a superlotação das cadeias e criar as condições de humanização dos detidos, assim como na sua ocupação em tarefas úteis nos mais diversos ofícios no âmbito dos direitos humanos", frisou.





Por seu turno, o director provincial dos Serviços Prisionais do Kwanza Sul, Noé Nascimento, considerou que a entrada em funcionamento deste bloco representa uma mais valia para a instituição por aumentar a sua capacidade de acomodação de presos.






"Nos últimos tempos temos estado a conhecer alguma superlotação e a inauguração deste edifício desanuvia o primeiro bloco. Deste modo, o sistema de internamento está dentro dos parâmetros recomendados pela carta dos direitos humanos das Nações unidas", realçou.





Para o auto-sustento da instituição, os reclusos são engajados na prática da agricultura para a melhoria ou complementaridade da dieta alimentar, recebida das importações.





A cadeia alberga mil e 247 detidos com direito às três refeições diárias e assistência médica.





O segundo bloco prisional, de dois pisos, alberga 254 reclusos, sendo 120 no primeiro piso e 134 no segundo.





Em termos de divisões comporta 124 celas, WC, um refeitório para 160 reclusos, uma cozinha industrial, geral, um pátio multiuso, copa e uma área de visitas para 18 pessoas.





Na ocasião, o vice-ministro procedeu ainda a entrega de três viaturas de apoio a instituição.





Presenciaram ao acto de inauguração, membros do governo provincial do Kwanza Sul e altos funcionários do Ministério do Interior.

FONTE

In solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners

I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately. Last night I was exhausted, in body and mind, but tried to keep my eyes open to follow updates on the Palestinian prisoners’ conditions. My heart and mind were with them completely, in every corner of the horrible Israeli prisons where our heroes continue with persistence, steadfastness, and struggle. Deciding to rebel against the torturous conditions they could no longer endure, the prisoners started a hunger strike on 27 September. [Ed: For more on the hunger strike see here, here and here.]
Around 6,000 detainees inside Israeli prisons are forgotten and treated as if they are less than animals. Israel, who claims to be the only democracy in the Middle East, seems to forget that prisoners are humans and have rights. The Palestinian prisoners are hunger striking for the ninth day hoping that Israel will implement their simple demands. But while they are calling with the loudest voice they can for their rights, Israel is reacting negatively, using every method they can to force the prisoners to give up. Prisoners are being sent to isolation in increasing numbers, family visits are being denied, families threatened, and identity cards confiscated, visits with denied, and belongings and clothing confiscated, beyond the constant, harsh torment they already receive.
Israel is violating international law and nobody is stopping them. Oh, pardon me for forgetting that Israel is beyond any law! Around 285 children are jailed and the world is still silent; nobody will dare to challenge Israel.
I am very emotionally attached to the prisoners’ issue, especially their hunger strike, not only because I am Palestinian but also because I am the daughter of a released prisoner. I was brought up hearing my father’s sad stories, full of suffering and despair, which remain stuck in his memory and never will leave him. My father’s eyes would have never seen the sun if Ahmad Gibreel didn’t manage to make a deal exchanging the three Israeli prisoners he held captive in 1985. My family was watching the news concerning the ongoing prisoners’ hunger strike when Dad started telling us about his imprisonment, which lasted for 15 years. “I witnessed and participated in the longest hunger strike in the history of Palestinian prisoners in 1982, which lasted for 33 consecutive days,” he said. “Three prisoners died and tens of cases were sent to hospital, including about 27 for dehydration, but what else way could we do to pressure them to provide us with the smallest things?”
Thinking deeply about my father’s words, and trying to imagine the awful conditions of the Palestinians inside the merciless Israeli jails, broke my heart. All the unbearable treatment prisoners get is totally unfair and against humanity!
There was a demonstration today in solidarity with these prisoners, whose health is getting worse every day, but who will bravely continue. I was lucky to not have early lectures at university, so I could be there at 9:00 am protesting against the situation of our prisoners. I had some conversations with other women there protesting, too. Most of them were either released prisoners or had sons, brothers, or husbands in prison hunger striking.
One of them was a mother of six kids whose children grew up as if they were fatherless; her husband is spending his 26th year inside a damned Israeli prison. “I was one month pregnant with my youngest girl, who is 25 years now, when my husband was arrested,” she said. “My oldest girl was only seven years old. All my kids do have a father but they became adults without their father around, like orphans.” She kept describing to me how hard it was to be alone without her husband taking care of six children, and how much she suffered and endured to make her husband, sentenced to lifelong imprisonment, proud of his children when he hopefully someday gets his freedom back. “I was very young, only 24 years old, when he went to prison. I stayed in this state of a married woman who has to live without a husband for 26 years for my six children. Thankfully I now have 25 grandchildren,” she said proudly.
Then she burst out crying expressing her worries because she heard that the Israeli army attacked Asqelan prison where her husband is held yesterday, violently attempting to force the impossible: to make the hunger strike end. I couldn’t then hide my tears anymore, despite trying so hard not to let them fall. I didn’t know what to do or say to calm her down. The woman told me that she and all other prisoners’ families have been denied visitation since Hamas was elected. They hear nothing from their imprisoned family members, except rarely, when some miracle happens, like someone from West Bank visiting his relatives imprisoned with her husband, who asks the visitor to convey a message to her that he is doing well.
I couldn’t say anything but prayers that God provides her with patience and that her husband gets his freedom back soon.
My father has always said that prisoners are the living martyrs. I think they really deserve this honor for all the injustice and suffering they endure. This open hunger strike of the Palestinian prisoners will continue until the Israeli army addresses their demands. International solidarity is needed now more than ever. Everyone needs to wake up and do something. We shouldn’t let the torturous conditions of the Palestinian detainees last forever!
Shahd Abusalama blogs at Palestine From My Eyes.

ONU denuncia casos de tortura em prisões do Afeganistão

Um relatório divulgado nesta segunda-feira pela missão das Nações Unidas no Afeganistão denuncia casos de tortura em 47 prisões de 24 províncias afegãs. As autoridades policiais recorreram a agressões e choques eléctricos para obter confissões dos detidos sobre alegadas ligações aos taliban.

Os casos de tortura ocorreram em estabelecimentos prisionais que se encontram sob controlo do Directório para a Segurança Nacional e da polícia afegã, adianta o relatório da ONU. Ao todo foram entrevistadas 379 pessoas detidas em 47 estabelecimentos prisionais de 24 províncias, entre Outubro de 2010 e Agosto de 2011, e a partir desses relatos concluiu-se que foram usadas técnicas de interrogação que são consideradas tortura à luz da legislação internacional e crimes segundo as leis afegãs.

A denúncia de casos de tortura em prisões afegãs já levou a missão da NATO no Afeganistão (ISAF) a anunciar que iria deixar de transferir detidos para 16 prisões do Afeganistão. O Governo afegão rejeitou no mês passado essas acusações, mas agora o relatório da ONU denuncia que estes casos ocorreram em vários locais e que houve prática de tortura inclusive em detidos com apenas 14 anos.

A investigação da ONU concluiu, no entanto, que estes casos não resultam de uma política deliberada do Governo. “O facto de o Directório para a Segurança Nacional e a polícia afegã terem cooperado com o programa de observação das prisões da ONU sugere que a reforma é possível e desejável, bem como o anúncio por parte do Governo de medidas para acabar com estas práticas abusivas”, adiantou em comunicado Staffan de Mistura, o representante especial da ONU no Afeganistão.

Os representantes das Nações Unidas concluíram que cerca de 46% dos detidos foram submetidos a tortura e deixaram algumas recomendações para que sejam efectuadas reformas no sistema judicial e afegão. Dos 379 detidos interrogados, muitos apresentavam sinais visíveis de terem sofrido agressões. Durante os interrogatórios alguns terão sido colocados em posições de “stress”, torturados com choques eléctricos ou agredidos nos pés ou nos genitais.

“Depois de me levantar, tive que confessar porque não aguentava a dor, não queria que aquilo me voltasse a acontecer, não queria sofrer a mesma dor severa e insuportável”, contou um dos detidos aos responsáveis da ONU.

FONTE

Women’s health in prison

Women are paying a higher price in prison than men. Women entering prison are often victims of abuse, have problems with the use of illicit drugs and or alcohol, care and provide for children and have mental disorders. They enter prison often having lived at the margins of society and being poorly educated and disadvantaged both socially and economically.

Despite the major differences in the policies and practices across Europe to address the special needs of women in prison, the evidence for what should be done is clear. The criminal justice system as a whole must ensure gender equality, provide services to address the main health problems of women in prison and work in the interests of any children involved. The prison environment and those working within it should recognize and accommodate the specific, individual health needs of women and guarantee that their human rights are maintained.

To help policy-makers, senior management in women’s prisons and prison staff, WHO/Europe and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime have developed three checklists to ensure greater safety and better quality health care for women in prison. The checklists provide a way to assess the current situation and detect the areas of service that could be improved.

The checklists will be released at the WHO Network Meeting for Prison Health taking place on 4–5 October 2011 in Abano Terme, Italy.

Health issues for women in prison
•Although women constitute a very small proportion of the total prison population in Europe, 4–5% on average, the number of women in prison is increasing rapidly. There are about 100 000 women in prison in Europe on any given day. Most offences for which women are imprisoned are non-violent and related to property or illicit drugs. Women who are sent to prison bring with them complex problems, needs, anxieties, illnesses and distress. Prison worsens these problems and increases the vulnerability of most of these women.
•Incarcerated women are far more likely to have had traumatic experiences in early childhood than incarcerated men, such as early sexual, mental and physical abuse. Half have experienced domestic violence.
•Many women in prison are mothers and usually the primary or sole carers for their children. About 10 000 children in Europe are estimated to be affected by their mother’s imprisonment. In most European countries, young children can stay in prison with their mothers: three years is the most common age limit. Facilities vary widely between countries.
•At least 75% of women entering prisons in Europe are estimated to have problems with the use of illicit drugs and alcohol. Further, women prisoners are more likely than male prisoners to inject drugs.
•Mental disorders are overrepresented among women prisoners; 80% of women in prison have an identifiable mental illness. Two thirds of women prisoners have post-traumatic stress disorder. One in ten has attempted suicide before being imprisoned. Women prisoners are more likely to harm themselves and commit suicide than male prisoners, whereas suicide is more common among men outside prison.
•Women prisoners often have a higher prevalence of HIV and other infectious diseases than male prisoners.
•Women prisoners have specific needs related to reproductive health issues such as menstruation, pregnancy and menopause. This includes access to regular showers and a greater need for adequate nutrition and personal care products.
SOURCE

VENEZUELA: Ministra Varela asegura que “la conflictividad en las cárceles del país ha disminuido

Caracas, 05 Oct. AVN .- “Es evidente que la conflictividad en las cárceles del país ha disminuido, porque ellos (privados de libertad) necesitan una atención directa”, expresó la ministra para el Servicio Penitenciario, Iris Varela.
Entrevistada este miércoles en el canal Venevisión, Varela indicó que en los recorridos que ha realizado en los últimos días por los recintos penitenciarios ubicados en los estados Guárico y Miranda ha recibido diversas peticiones de parte de los internos.

“Cuando me reúno en los patios y en las propias celdas a conversar con ellos, ellos (reclusos) tienen confianza en que por fin se les va a atender directamente la situación y yo les digo que es producto de que el Estado está demostrando que lleva de manera sistemática una política dirigida a resolver su situación”, dijo.

Recordó que antes de 1999 nunca se hablaba de la situación penitenciaria, “sólo en la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente se analizó la situación de las cárceles en el país, que lamentablemente es un problema crónico, la situación de conflictividad en los recintos no es de ahora, es parte del sistema”.

Expresó su confianza en que esa situación será revertida con la incorporación de los privados de libertad a programas que permitan trabajar en su educación y en su transformación, “que sean capacitados para darles trabajo”.

“Una de las principales líneas que me dio el presidente Chávez es que hay que garantizarle trabajo a esas personas”, afirmó la titular del Ministerio para el Servicio Penitenciario.

Recordó que la coordinación con los diversos órganos del Poder Público favorece la resolución de los problemas presentados en las cárceles del país.

Varela comentó que durante los recorridos “sorpresa” efectuados a los centros penitenciarios ha constatado la labor realizada por los fiscales del Ministerio Público y por el personal de la Defensa Pública.
FUENTE

ANGOLA: Registo eleitoral vai às cadeias

O ministro do Interior, Sebastião Martins, garantiu ontem, em Luanda, que os cidadãos que se encontram nos estabelecimentos prisionais do país vão poder participar no processo de actualização do registo eleitoral.
Sebastião Martins, que falava à imprensa momentos depois de ter actualizado os seus dados eleitorais, disse que os cidadãos em conflito com a lei podem exercer o direito de voto, desde que não tenham limitação no exercício dos seus direitos políticos e cidadania.
“Foram dadas as instruções para que este trabalho também seja extensivo aos estabelecimentos prisionais com o acompanhamento e supervisão dos órgãos afins do Conselho Nacional Eleitoral e do Ministério da Administração do Território, para que se actualize também o registo dos cidadãos que estão com privação de liberdade mas que na altura das eleições possam exercer o seu direito, de acordo com aquilo que a lei estabelece”, esclareceu.
Sebastião Martins afirmou que o Ministério do Interior, através da Direcção dos Serviços Prisionais e as entidades responsáveis pela actualização do registo, estão a supervisionar o processo para organizar e definir qual a melhor modalidade para o efeito.
Apelou a todos os efectivos do Ministério do Interior, às suas forças, quadros administrativos e de apoio para corresponderem à necessidade de todos os angolanos poderem exercer o seu direito de voto no próximo ano. Sebastião Martins garantiu que as estruturas policiais do Interior estão disponíveis, mobilizadas e preparadas para que no próximo ano exerçam o dever cívico.
“Os efectivos precisam de actualizar o seu registo eleitoral, escolher o seu local de voto e engajar-se na preparação de todas as condições para que, no próximo ano, se assegure, de forma plena, o exercício deste importante acto de cidadania”, defendeu.
O acto contou com a presença dos vice-ministros do Interior para a Protecção Civil e Bombeiros, Eugénio Laborinho, e para a Ordem Interna, Ângelo Veiga, que também efectuaram a actualização do registo eleitoral.






Elogios de Cristiano André


O juiz-presidente do Tribunal Supremo, Cristiano André, louvou ontem, em Luanda, a ideia de instalar brigadas de registo eleitoral em locais de trabalho. O alto magistrado judicial disse que a iniciativa traz grandes vantagens, porquanto facilita a adesão dos trabalhadores ao processo de registo eleitoral, sem perda de muitas horas de trabalho.
Cristiano André, que falava depois de ter feito a actualização do registo na brigada número 65.308, instalada na Imprensa Nacional, disse esperar que até à data do encerramento deste processo, em Dezembro, esteja registada a maioria, senão a totalidade dos angolanos que têm capacidade eleitoral.
A chefe da secretaria-geral do Tribunal, Teresa José Marcolino, também fez ontem, na mesma brigada, a actualização do registo eleitoral, na companhia de magistrados e vários funcionários do Ministério Público.
Teresa Marcolino caracterizou o acto de importante, pois constitui um dever para todo o angolano amante da paz. A secretária-geral do Tribunal Supremo vai votar na sua área de residência, no Projecto Nova Vida. Para o chefe da brigada 65.308, Rodrigues Edmundo Albano, a aderência dos magistrados e funcionários do Ministério Público constitui sinónimo de valorização do processo do registo e actualização eleitoral.
Segundo ele, a instalação das brigadas nos locais de trabalho tem muitas vantagens e é uma forma de ir ao encontro do eleitor para economizar o seu tempo e evitar deslocações na procura de locais de registo.
Albano apelou aos eleitores, particularmente aos jovens, para não deixarem essa tarefa para os últimos dias, pelo que devem dirigir-se já às brigadas de registo e actualização eleitoral.

FONTE

VENEZUELA: Iris Varela planea visitar las cárceles sin avisar

La titular del recién creado Ministerio para Asuntos Penitenciarios, Iris Varela, confesó que está usando el elemento sorpresa al visitar algunas cárceles del país, como parte del recorrido que efectúa para identificar los problemas más neurálgicos del sistema.

“Los que trabajan conmigo en el despacho saben que yo puedo decir "mañana vamos para El Rodeo" y en el momento de la visita cambio la decisión para ir a otro centro. A mí me interesa caer de sorpresa para verificar muchas cosas, las actuaciones de algunos funcionarios, por ejemplo”, relató Varela, durante una entrevista en Venevisión.

Sobre la conflictividad en las cárceles venezolanas, precisó que ha disminuido “porque ellos (los privados de libertad) necesitan una atención directa”. Indicó que en los recorridos que ha realizado en los últimos días por los recintos penitenciarios de los estados Guárico y Miranda ha recibido diversas peticiones de parte de los internos.

“Cuando me reúno en los patios y en las propias celdas a conversar con ellos, ellos (reclusos) tienen confianza en que por fin se les va a atender directamente la situación”, dijo, según la Agencia Venezolana de Noticias (AVN).

Expresó su confianza en que esa situación será revertida con la incorporación de los privados de libertad a programas que permitan trabajar en su educación y en su transformación, “que sean capacitados para darles trabajo”.

Varela comentó que durante los recorridos "sorpresa" efectuados a los centros penitenciarios ha constatado la labor realizada por los fiscales del Ministerio Público y por el personal de la Defensa Pública.

FUENTE

NGC decora Metro do Marquês com tema das prisões

O National Geographic Channel (NGC) dedica Outubro às prisões, decorando a Estação de Metro do Marquês de Pombal com o tema.
Durante este mês, os utilizadores do Metro encontrarão os bancos da estação das Linhas Azul e Amarela com a régua de «boas-vindas» dos presos às cadeias, segundo o divulgado em comunicado.

A iniciativa assinala diversos conteúdos em exibição no NGC, incluindo «Presos no Estrangeiro 6» (28 de Outubro às 22:20), «Penas Pesadas 3» (já exibido) e «Domingos Temáticos – Prisões: Bastidores» (aos domingos às 21:30).

fonte

Iris Varela: Conflictividad en las cárceles del país ha disminuido

ND.- De acuerdo a la ministra Iris Varela, “la conflictividad en las cárceles del país ha disminuido”. Afirmó que los reclusos “tienen confianza en que por fin se les va a atender directamente” y consideró que el Estado “está demostrando que lleva de manera sistemática una política dirigida a resolver su situación”.

opinan los foristas

Así lo recoge AVN:

“Es evidente que la conflictividad en las cárceles del país ha disminuido, porque ellos (privados de libertad) necesitan una atención directa”, expresó la ministra para el Servicio Penitenciario, Iris Varela.

Entrevistada este miércoles en el canal Venevisión, Varela indicó que en los recorridos que ha realizado en los últimos días por los recintos penitenciarios ubicados en los estados Guárico y Miranda ha recibido diversas peticiones de parte de los internos.

“Cuando me reúno en los patios y en las propias celdas a conversar con ellos, ellos (reclusos) tienen confianza en que por fin se les va a atender directamente la situación y yo les digo que es producto de que el Estado está demostrando que lleva de manera sistemática una política dirigida a resolver su situación”, dijo.

Recordó que antes de 1999 nunca se hablaba de la situación penitenciaria, “sólo en la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente se analizó la situación de las cárceles en el país, que lamentablemente es un problema crónico, la situación de conflictividad en los recintos no es de ahora, es parte del sistema”.

Expresó su confianza en que esa situación será revertida con la incorporación de los privados de libertad a programas que permitan trabajar en su educación y en su transformación, “que sean capacitados para darles trabajo”.

“Una de las principales líneas que me dio el presidente Chávez es que hay que garantizarle trabajo a esas personas”, afirmó la titular del Ministerio para el Servicio Penitenciario.

Recordó que la coordinación con los diversos órganos del Poder Público favorece la resolución de los problemas presentados en las cárceles del país.

Varela comentó que durante los recorridos “sorpresa” efectuados a los centros penitenciarios ha constatado la labor realizada por los fiscales del Ministerio Público y por el personal de la Defensa Pública.

FUENTE

Alleged CIA prisons in Europe to be discussed Council of Europe session

Poland, Lithuania, Spain and Portugal will be asked to provide full disclosure about alleged CIA prisons for terrorist suspects at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly today.
On Saturday, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg told Poland’s TVP public broadcaster that,” It is clear that Poland hosted secret CIA prisons between December 2002 and September 2003. We know who was held there and what interrogation methods were used. They can be described as torture.”

Poland's president during the period under investigation, Aleksander Kwasniewski has repeatedly denied the existence of any such CIA prisons.

Meanwhile, the assembly will consider a further report that reaffirms that torture is an inadmissible violation of human rights.

The report nevertheless argues that some other human rights may be suspended in the so-called “war on terrorism.” (nh/pg)

SOURCE

JUSTICE NETWORK

Octubre de 2011

Llegando a los marginados de Lesoto
A finales de agosto, la C. C. de Lesoto se asoció con Visión del Mundo para un taller de 3 días titulado “Agentes Constructores de la Comunidad.” Atendiendo a 20 hombres jóvenes conocidos como “muchachos del rebaño”, el taller buscó elevar la conciencia sobre el daño del delito y la responsabilidad por las acciones realizadas.
Según Joseph Mpakanyane, Director Ejecutivo de la C. C. de Lesoto, el distrito Mafeteng de Lesoto experimenta un nivel elevado de crímenes cometidos por los “muchachos del rebaño” incluyendo el homicidio y la violación. Los hombres jóvenes de entre 16 y 34 años llevan una vida muy difícil atendiendo al ganado en áreas desoladas bajo muy duras condiciones del clima. Según la UNICEF, muchos de los muchachos del rebaño no reciben ni siquiera la educación rudimentaria y desarrollan comportamientos altamente antisociales. La suya es una vida que Joseph conoce bien ya que el pasó 13 años de su propia juventud como un “muchacho del rebaño”.

Al estar desarrollando el taller de justicia restaurativa, Joseph buscó crear un espacio para la discusión honrada y respetuosa. Basado en el contenido del Proyecto Árbol de Sicomoro® de la PFI, las sesiones del taller incluyeron:
¿Qué es el delito y la violación?- Para explorar lo que la justicia restaurativa entiende del delito
Responsabilidad.-Para discutir que significa tomar la responsabilidad por cometer una ofensa
Confesión y arrepentimiento.-Para entender el significado, poder e importancia de la confesión y el arrepentimiento
Hacer reparaciones.-Para entender el hacer reparaciones como una respuesta al delito
Una mujer que había experimentado el crimen compartió su historia en forma tal que el daño no pudo negarse. Al mismo tiempo demostró gracia al expresar un corazón de perdón para aquellos que cometieron la ofensa en su contra.

El Ministerio de Justicia de Lesoto ayudó al taller de justicia restaurativa enviado a dos individuos a participar en la ceremonia de inauguración. En su discurso clave, el Juez Masenyentse expuso como los “muchachos del rebaño” podrían jugar un papel importante en el desarrollo de la comunidad a pesar de que parecían ser como la sociedad perdida. En su discurso el Juez Ts’eleso Monapathi hablo acerca del papel que ellos podrían desempeñar en promover la justicia.

Al describir su experiencia de haber dirigido el taller, Joseph dijo: “Fue sobrecogedora la forma en la que El Espíritu Santo ministró un cambio completo y la paz a aquellas almas preciosas de la sociedad aún perdida con la que las prisiones están abarrotadas.” En una sesión de “que es lo que sigue”, muchos de los “muchachos del rebaño” se comprometieron a solicitar a sus jefes respectivos a organizar reuniones en las que compartan con sus comunidades lo que han aprendido .



La C. C. de Nicaragua está promoviendo la asesoría legal para los prisioneros
En su trabajo con los prisioneros, los voluntarios de la C. C. de Nicaragua frecuentemente encuentran prisioneros que ya han cumplido sus sentencias pero que no han sido liberados debido a demoras judiciales así como a otros asuntos legales. En respuesta a ello, el ministerio nacional desarrolló dos asociaciones que resultaron en convenios con la Suprema Corte de Justicia de Nicaragua y con la Universidad Americana en Managua. Los convenios crean mecanismos para que los voluntarios de defensa social de la C. C. de Nicaragua, ayudados por estudiantes de Derecho, proporcionen asistencia legal para revisar y procesar casos penales.

Como parte de los convenios, los asociados organizaron un taller sobre “Aspectos Generales y Procedimientos en la Ejecución de la Sentencia” en la Universidad Americana los días 11 y 12 de agosto. Los participantes exploraron varios aspectos del Derecho Penal y las sentencias en Nicaragua. Según el abogado Ernesto Espinoza, uno de los voluntarios de Defensa Social de la C. C. de Nicaragua, la capacitación proporcionó el conocimiento necesario para permitirles tomar los casos de los prisioneros dentro del proceso legal y ayudarlos a dejar la prisión. Explicó que el programa ya tiene una lista provisional de 60 casos para su revisión. Según los convenios, los voluntarios y los estudiantes de Derecho deben procesar tanto como 200 casos cada año a través de la Oficina de la Defensoría de Oficio.



Recuerden rezar por nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Nicaragua y Lesoto.






Red de Justicia es presentado a usted por el Centro para la Justicia y la Reconciliación, una programa de la Confraternidad Carcelaria Internacional
Si tienen algo que quisieran incluir (solicitudes de ayuda, actualización sobre esfuerzos de reformas penitenciarias en su país, palabras de aliento y similares, favor de enviarlas a Lynette Parker en la Secretaría de PFI (lparker@pfi.org )

Belgique : Nouveau service spécial pour le système pénitentiaire

Le ministre de la justice a annoncé la création d’un nouveau service spécial dont la fonction sera le ’profilage’ de tous les détenus des prisons belges. A l’heure actuelle, la police, le parquet et l’administration disposent chacun de leurs dossiers respectifs, mais il n’existe aucun document commun. Le nouveau service se chargera de rassembler un maximum d’information sur l’histoire de chaque prisonnier afin d’établir un profil précis qui sera utilisé par tous les départements judiciaires. Ce profil tiendra compte des risques d’évasion, mais dressera aussi un compte-rendu du passé médical, des relations,... du détenu. Le dispositif devrait être mis en place en 2012.

IN http://www.secoursrouge.org/Belgique-Nouveau-service-special

ZIMBABWE: Prisoners encouraged to work, earn money

Prison inmates in Zimbabwe are encouraged to engage in income generating activities and provide for their families.

They earn wages for jobs done at private farms and other organisations while serving their sentences. The prisoners get 70 per cent of their earnings while 30 per cent goes to government. They are also permitted to open bank accounts.

“A prisoner can sign a bank withdrawal slip and send a relative to collect the money from the bank. If the bank demands presence of the holder of the bank account, authority would be granted for the inmate to visit the bank in company of a prison official,” said a prison official at ZPS stand at the Marondera agricultural show this week.

“Some inmates were actually purchasing furniture or paying their children’s school fees from cash earned while in incarceration,” he added.

Companies using prison labour include Border Timbers. Prisoners earn meaningful wages and some are understood to have been offered permanent employment at the companies once their jail terms are completed.

The Prison Fellowship Organisation assisted former convicts to find employment at companies where their skills were needed.

“Everything possible is done to ensure that inmates live as much of a normal life as is possible. Since prison life entails the convict to be reformed he should receive self-sustaining skills. These are essential since most crimes are committed by people desperate to make ends meet. Some were too lazy to earn a living and resorted to dishonesty,” said the officer.

He said living conditions in prison had improved tremendously following the formation of the inclusive government which resulted in the current upward turn of the economy.

Inmates were growing enough supplementary food and at least enjoying three balanced meals every day. The show stand exhibited a number of projects carried out in prison – including piggery, cattle breeding, carpentry, farming, art and sport.

SOURCE