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Bishkek seminar stresses importance of penal reform
BISHKEK 15 October 2002
BISHKEK, 15 October 2002 - Experts at a seminar in Krygyzstan on prisoners' rights stressed that penal reform, in order to be successful, needs a complex approach and allies in the government, in the Parliament, in the court system and in other governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
A two-day seminar on human rights in penal facilities, which ended today in Bishkek, responded to the recent transfer of Kyrgyzstan's prison service from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Justice.
More than 50 representatives from the government and NGOs of Kyrgyzstan participated in the seminar, which aimed at familiarizing prison staff with international standards and their practical application. Members of the central prison department and prison directors of the country agreed in the seminar that one of the prerequisites of successful penitentiary reform was improved training of the prison staff.
International experts from Latvia and the Russian Federation presented the minimum standards as laid by various UN documents on treatment of prisoners and their countries' experience in penitentiary reform.
"Everybody knows that people do usually not get better in prisons. Rather, many become real criminals during their stay there. It is therefore important that government and society undertake joint efforts to find more effective ways to punish people than isolating them from society and make the prison system as such more humane," said Vitolds Zahars, an OSCE expert and Director General of the Latvian Prison Service.
Participants discussed the possible consequences of the transfer, including legislative changes, financial implications, how the transfer might affect the penal facilities staff, demilitarization as an important factor in reform, the need to reduce the prison population to make reform more effective, as well as the need to provide access to places of detention for civil society and media.
The seminar "Human Rights in Places of Detention in the Context of International Norms and Standards" was organized by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the OSCE Centre in Bishkek together with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, with the support of the international non-governmental organization Penal Reform International and the European Commission.
The OSCE and Penal Reform International welcome the willingness of the Government of Kyrgyzstan to reform the prison system and its readiness to continue co-operation.
A two-day seminar on human rights in penal facilities, which ended today in Bishkek, responded to the recent transfer of Kyrgyzstan's prison service from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Justice.
More than 50 representatives from the government and NGOs of Kyrgyzstan participated in the seminar, which aimed at familiarizing prison staff with international standards and their practical application. Members of the central prison department and prison directors of the country agreed in the seminar that one of the prerequisites of successful penitentiary reform was improved training of the prison staff.
International experts from Latvia and the Russian Federation presented the minimum standards as laid by various UN documents on treatment of prisoners and their countries' experience in penitentiary reform.
"Everybody knows that people do usually not get better in prisons. Rather, many become real criminals during their stay there. It is therefore important that government and society undertake joint efforts to find more effective ways to punish people than isolating them from society and make the prison system as such more humane," said Vitolds Zahars, an OSCE expert and Director General of the Latvian Prison Service.
Participants discussed the possible consequences of the transfer, including legislative changes, financial implications, how the transfer might affect the penal facilities staff, demilitarization as an important factor in reform, the need to reduce the prison population to make reform more effective, as well as the need to provide access to places of detention for civil society and media.
The seminar "Human Rights in Places of Detention in the Context of International Norms and Standards" was organized by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the OSCE Centre in Bishkek together with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, with the support of the international non-governmental organization Penal Reform International and the European Commission.
The OSCE and Penal Reform International welcome the willingness of the Government of Kyrgyzstan to reform the prison system and its readiness to continue co-operation.