Newsroom
Budva roundtable discusses treatment of long-term prisoners
BELGRADE 11 December 2002
BELGRADE, 11 December 2002 - High-level officials from justice ministries of six south-eastern Europe countries, legal experts and representatives of international organisations will participate in a roundtable on the "Treatment of Long-term Prisoners" on 12-13 December, in Budva, Republic of Montenegro.
The event is organised jointly by the OSCE Mission to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), its Office in Podgorica, the Council of Europe and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
"This is an important conference because the level of democracy in a society can be measured by the way it treats its elderly, its children and also its prison inmates, as these vulnerable groups often cannot protect themselves," said Mark Davison, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to the FRY.
"Therefore, a modern state must provide maximum assistance in ensuring the protection and promotion of the basic rights of such groups."
Treatment of long-term prisoners is part of the larger issue of prison reform, an area where international organisations have provided advice and assistance to national governments in the region. It is recognised as a priority for south-eastern Europe by both the OSCE and the Council of Europe, as the death penalty has been abolished in all the republics and replaced with long-term imprisonment.
According to the general criminal law standard, long-term imprisonment means sentences that go over 10 years. A proper handling of long-term imprisonment requires, among others, logistical arrangements for receiving and keeping long-term prisoners, as well as social, rehabilitation and treatment programs. These topics will be debated during the sessions of the round table, which will also address the issue of the national criminal legislation providing for the long-term sentences.
The event is organised jointly by the OSCE Mission to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), its Office in Podgorica, the Council of Europe and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
"This is an important conference because the level of democracy in a society can be measured by the way it treats its elderly, its children and also its prison inmates, as these vulnerable groups often cannot protect themselves," said Mark Davison, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to the FRY.
"Therefore, a modern state must provide maximum assistance in ensuring the protection and promotion of the basic rights of such groups."
Treatment of long-term prisoners is part of the larger issue of prison reform, an area where international organisations have provided advice and assistance to national governments in the region. It is recognised as a priority for south-eastern Europe by both the OSCE and the Council of Europe, as the death penalty has been abolished in all the republics and replaced with long-term imprisonment.
According to the general criminal law standard, long-term imprisonment means sentences that go over 10 years. A proper handling of long-term imprisonment requires, among others, logistical arrangements for receiving and keeping long-term prisoners, as well as social, rehabilitation and treatment programs. These topics will be debated during the sessions of the round table, which will also address the issue of the national criminal legislation providing for the long-term sentences.