News
An affront to human dignity: Grand Chamber of the European Human Rights Court on defendants held in metal cages
In a momentous judgment published yesterday on the case of Svinarenko and Slyadnev v. Russia, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights found that holding a person in a metal cage during trial constitutes in itself an ‘affront to human dignity’. The defendants, charged with a number of offences including robbery with […]
News
Indian prison officers tour the UK prison system
Unlimited visits from families, hand sanitizer for staff and prisoners to improve hygiene and inviting local NGOs to provide prisoners with vocational training: just a few of the ideas that ten prison managers from across India took back from an exposure visit to the UK this June. The visit, which took place from 1 to 14 June, was […]
News
Kazakhstan prison Ombudsman visits Slovenian counterparts
This week, PRI facilitated a visit to the Slovenian Ombudsman by a delegation from the Ombudsman’s office in Kazakhstan, including the Askar Shakirov, Ombudsman of Kazakhstan and Rustam Kypshakbayev, a specialist from the Ombudsman office. This visit was undertaken as part of a new 10-month PRI Central Asia project funded by the Organisation for Security and […]
News
Human rights and prison management the focus of prison service training in Kolkata last week
On 9-12 December 2013, PRI and the Penal Reform and Justice Association (PRAJA) ran a training of trainers workshop (ToT) on human rights and prison management for Indian Prison Officials. Twenty prison managers from India’s eastern states – Jharkhand, Mizoram and West Bengal – took part in the four-day course on human rights and prison management, which […]
News
New resource for detention monitoring bodies launched
On Friday, PRI and its partner the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) launched the a new joint publication – the Detention Monitoring Tool – at the Palais Wilson, Headquarters of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. Monitoring bodies are most effective when they focus on a preventive approach, ie […]
News
Sign up for an Online Course on Safeguards against Torture and Ill-Treatment
Human Rights Education Associates (HREA), specialists in human rights education and e-learning, are running an online course on safeguards against torture and ill-treatment with PRI’s Policy Director Andrea Huber as instructor from 16 October to 26 November. Numerous conventions and standards have been adopted at regional and international level to respond to and prevent the […]
News
Please save the date: HRC side event on rehabilitation and redress for victims of torture on 30 May
PRI will be co-hosting a side event with the ICRT at the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday 30th May on “Rehabilitation and redress for victims of torture: State obligations and practice”. The side event gives an opportunity to reflect on obligations of states in the provision of redress to victims of torture in accordance with Article 14 of […]
News
Discussion paper: The Use and Practice of Imprisonment: Current Trends and Future Challenges
Last Friday (26 April 2013) at the 22nd Session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna, PRI presented a discussion paper The Use and Practice of Imprisonment: Current Trends and Future Challenges at a side-event. Despite a night session of the Committee of the Whole on the Thursday evening, the side event […]
News
PRI recruits a national independent team of experts to monitor care facilities in Jordan
On 9 March, PRI’s Middle East and North Africa office will launch a national independent team for monitoring care centres in Jordan in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development. The 35-strong taskforce was formed following an agreement signed earlier between PRI and the Ministry of Social Development. The monitoring team will be granted access […]
Press release
Press release: Kazakhstan prison monitoring
PRESS RELEASE There have been recent media comments on the report from the Public Monitoring Commissions’ (PMCs) visit to Zhanaozen with the assistance of Penal Reform International (PRI)’s Central Asia office. PRI considers some clarification necessary in light of these comments, and confirms the following points: 1. At the end of December 2011 the Public Monitoring […]