Friends, Am I looking forward to this or what? Our Barrister (ex Nelson Mandela report Author) and our Chair 'phoned me today from Geneva to say that our submission by him and our Chair (Murray Jones, a Ballardong Nyungar Man) had been so well received by the Chair of the Committee that he commented that it was the "best" his committee had ever received. What a claim to shame.... Please let me know if you'd like a copy, some 100+ pages (880k), in Word .rtf format and I'll email it as an attachment on request. =================================================== media release DEATHS IN CUSTODY WATCH COMMITTEE (WA) Inc. 207 BEAUFORT ST PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA 6000 PO Box 8196 Perth WA 6849 Tel: 61(0)8 9227-5751 Mobile: 041993-0375 Fax: 61(0)8 9227-5593 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] URL:http://www.deathsincustody.com/ Thursday 16 November 2000 UNITED NATIONS HEAR CLAIMS OF TORTURE IN WA PRISONS Kath Mallott, Executive Officer of the Deaths in Custody Watch Committee announced today that the Watch Committee has submitted a report to the United Nations Committee Against Torture, which is examining the Australian Government's report today. "We are calling on the Committee Against Torture to question the Australian Government about violations of the Convention Against Torture in West Australian prisons and to appoint an inquiry into prisoner's claims of torture and other cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment," she said. Chair of Deaths in Custody Watch Committee (WA), Murray Jones, and author of the report Mark Cox are in Geneva presenting evidence in the form of victim and witness statements, photographs, doctors' reports and prison reports. The report provides substantial evidence that in WA prisons there are frequent violations of Articles 1 (torture) and 16 (cruel, inhuman, degrading punishment or treatment) of the Convention. There is evidence of the unr easonable and unnecessary use of force, excessive and improper use of physical restraint by chemical spray, shackles, hobbles, handcuffs, and a full-body restraint bed. "Peter Foss needs to go interstate and take a look at how other prison systems manage without resorting to the very crude and inhuman approaches to managing prisoners in WA," she said. Included in the report are allegations of the forced medication and sedation of prisoners, excessive and unreasonable use of isolation; misuse of "Medical Observation", Special Handling Unit and administrative isolation cells for punitive purposes. Of particular concern is the absence of due process, natural justice, and adequate, fair, impartial, and independent investigation of inmates' complaints. An obvious omission from Australia's report is reference to the inadequate incorporation into criminal law and regulation of the prohibition on torture and cruel, degrading, and inhuman treatment. The Smith Report, which investigated the Casuarina riot, found that the Offender Management Division of the Ministry has been dysfunctional for a long time and the Ombudsman has reported dramatic increases in prisoners' c omplaints of abuses. "Despite all the evidence, the West Australian Government has to date been in complete denial of violent abuses of prisoners which occur with systematic frequency in prisons and is unwilling to address the crisis. We are renewing our call for a full judicial inquiry headed by a senior judge," explained Kath Mallott. Media Contacts: Perth: Kath Mallott, Ph: (08)9227-5751,Mob: 0419930375 Geneva: Mark Cox, Author, Ph: 001141227316250 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Murray Jones, Chair, Ph: 001141227316250 ======================================================================= Deaths In Custody Watch Committee (WA) Inc Media Representatives You are invited to the launch of a Report to The United Nations Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) by the Deaths In Custody Watch Committee (WA) Inc. The Committee Against Torture is examining Australia's compliance with the Convention against torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of prisoners. Today's event will coincide with the presentation of our report to the United Nations in Geneva. Where: Aboriginal Advancement Council, (Above the Gallery) 201 Beaufort St Perth When: Friday 17th November 2000 at 10:30am Who: A panel of committed and active people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, including Sir Ronald Wilson, will be at the launch. RSVP: Phone 92275751 Fax 92275593, Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] =========================================================== Objectives of this Report 1. To bring the attention of the Committee Against Torture to systematic and individual cases of violations of Australia's obligations under the Convention Against Torture in WESTERN AUSTRALIA prisons and other places of detention. 2. To identify violations of the Convention in WESTERN AUSTRALIA's places of detention by reference to primary materials in the form of statements by victims and witnesses, medical and other reports, photographs, videos , and by reference to secondary materials in the form of reports of governmental agencies and other organisations. 3. To demonstrate contradictions, inadequacies and omissions in Australia's First, Second and Third Reports to the Committee. 4. To have questions put to the Australian representative by the Committee regarding: a. regulation and criminalisation of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment in WESTERN AUSTRALIA; b. treatment of detained persons, mechanisms for grievances, monitoring conditions and training of prison staff in WESTERN AUSTRALIA, and c. the full implementation of the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (1991), The Smith Report on the Incident at Casuarina on Christmas Day 1998 (19 March 1999), The Nevill Report (29 June 2000) and the WESTERN AUSTRALIA Ombudsman's Prisons Report (begun in early 1998 but not yet publicly available); 5. To seek recommendations and actions by the Committee, including designating members of the Committee to make an inquiry, pursuant to Article 20 of the Convention aimed at: a. ensuring adequate adoption and incorporation into domestic State law of the prohibitions and requirements of the Convention; b. comprehensively investigating, monitoring and resolving individual and systematic violations of the Convention and other UN instruments in respect of detained people in WESTERN AUSTRALIA, and c. implementing the various recommendations referred to in 4.c. above. ======================================================= Research/Project Officer ~ DICWC ~ Jim Duffield "The beginning of the cause of deaths in custody does not occur within the confines of police and prison cells or in the minds of the victims. Initially it starts in the minds of those who allow it to happen." - Elder, the late Dr. Jack Davis AO, BEM http://www.deathsincustody.com ~ [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------------ RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/
