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Declaration The creation of the Foundation ╚In defense of the rights of prisoners╩ is an attempt to unite the forces of people one way or another engaged in problems of the violation of prisoners▓ rights. Our Foundation is a human rights organization. We are going to render assistance to those prisoners whose rights are being violated or have been violated, irrespective of who they are, in what colony they are being held, whether they is a victim of judicial error or are bearing their punishment in accordance with the law. We are aware and understand how difficult it is for society to understand the motives and actions of people that brought them to places of confinement. Many prisoners are not classical victims with a clean past and a bright future. They have contravened the law, but for this they have already borne a severe punishment, having lost freedom, having found themselves isolated from society, kin and close ones, deprived of many of their rights. But to them too, as to other citizens of our country, the Constitution of the RF guarantees inalienable human rights. No one has the right to torture, beat, or kill them, treat them degradingly, or subject them to torture, tormenting, and violence. All the more so this should not be done by the lawful representatives of society in the person of employees of the law-enforcement agencies and the penal system. Since the year 2000, a trend has appeared in But the task of society is not to beat the prisoners even more, but to help them remain people, to believe in themselves and that society is not indifferent to their fate. Observance of human rights, respect for the person, is that foundation without which the social and psychological rehabilitation of those serving punishment is impossible. Improvement of the situation in pre-trial detention facilities, prisons, and isolators is needed not only by those who are found within, in isolation from society, but by all of us. Cruelty and arbitrariness in relation to those who have stumbled in life, elevated to the status of a system, threatens our freedom and our rights as well, and destroys society. We want to establish working relations with representatives of the organs of power, the penitentiary system, the procuracy and civic organizations to prevent and not permit such violations to occur, to restore rights that have been violated. On our own, making use of a large human rights network, we will likewise expose and tell society about all facts of cruel treatment of prisoners known to us. We will work with letters from prisoners and their relatives, strive to attain the full and proper investigation of violations, monitor the progress of a case through all the levels and inform society about our work. We understand that without uniting the efforts of all interested parties, without the participation of the organs of power, representatives of the penitentiary system, society, businessmen, entrepreneurs, lawyers, journalists, and ordinary citizens, such a problem can not be resolved. We are open to dialog and cooperation and are prepared to accept any help whatsoever from you.
Since 2000, Russia has been tightening the custodial regime both in remand prisons and correctional colonies.
As follows from numerous letters that human rights advocates receive from detention facilities, the most common are the following violations of prisoners▓ right:
- collective punishment of large groups of inmates for any, even unsubstantial, breach of the prison rules by at least one of them; - coercion to become members of various prisoners▓ organizations collaborating with the prison administration; - subjection to military-type procedures: exhausting marches and collective singing. Any non-conformity with these unlawful requirements causes repressions: beatings, tortures, confinement to punishment blocks and prison-type facilities.
Tortures in colonies have become practically ubiquitous. Human rights advocates have dozens of examples of fierce tortures of prisoners who were even killed. Prosecutors usually cover up the unlawful acts of prison administrations and do not open and investigate criminal cases on these occasions.
Despite the repressions becoming more and more severe, at the same time more and more prisoners appear who are ready to defend their dignity and to speak up for their own rights and rights of other inmates. More and more of this kind of people appear, and they seek to work together with human rights advocates.
Main Areas of Activities and Priorities of the Foundation
In view of the above, the Foundation In Defence of Rights of Prisoners identified the following priority areas for its work: 1. Human rights; 2. Information; 3. Research.
Within the main areas of activities, the Foundation identified the following priorities:
1. Maintain contact established by the All-Russia Public Movement For Human Rights and other human rights organizations with prisoners or groups of prisoners who are defending their rights and are subjected to repressions
2. Monitor opening and investigation of criminal cases on facts of unlawful repressions;
3. Send defence lawyers and human rights advocates to colonies to establish public control over investigation into complaints received;
4. Continue to form civil committees of prisoners▓ relatives across Russia; provide organizational and technical support for existing committees;
5. Establish stable connections with state bodies and state human rights structures for constructive cooperation with them;
6. Publish a monthly bulletin In Defence of Rights of Prisoners. Distribute the bulletin in detention facilities, remand prisons, state and local self-governance bodies, among lawyers, scientists, etc.;
7. Subject to adequate funding, the Foundation is going to provide help in drawing up supervisory appeals when lawyers of the Foundation find that convictions and sentences ordered by courts are unjust and unlawful (note: no help in drawing up of supervisory appeals is provided now).
8. File applications with the European Court of Human Rights, the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Anti-Torture Committee, the Amnesty International and other human rights organizations and groups.
9. Hold press conferences, round tables and public hearings on violations of human rights in detention facilities and on problems of the penitentiary system.
10. Provide legal consultations in the premises of the Foundation and ⌠field consultations■ in detention facilities.
The structure of the Foundation
Founders:
Ludmila Mikhailovna Alexeyeva, the Chair of the Moscow Helsinki Group
Lev Alexandrovich Ponomarev, the executive director of the All-Russia Public Movement For Human Rights Ernest Isaakovich Cherny, the executive secretary of the Public Committee in Defence of Scientists
Management bodies of the Foundation
The Management Board: - Ludmila Mikhailovna Alexeyeva, the Chair - Lev Alexandrovich Ponomarev, Deputy Chair - Andrei Vladimirovich Babushkin - Valery Fedorovich Abramkin The Board of Trustees - Gleb Pavlovich Yakunin - Yuri Fedorovich Orlov - Alexander Konstantinovich Nikitin - Grigory Mikhailovich Pasko - Marina Filippovna Khodorkovskaya
The Foundation will have several sections: letters section, legal section, publishing section, information section, etc.
Foundation bank details Non-commercial organization Foundation ⌠In defense of the rights of prisoners" OGRN: 1057749410553 OKATO: 45286570000
in Krasnopresnenskoye OSB No. 1569 of Sberbank of Russia of the city of Settlement account: No. 40703810838170101560 BIC: 044525225
Foreign currency account in Krasnopresnenskoye OSB No. 1569 of Sberbank of Russia of the city of current foreign currency No. 40703840138170101560 transit foreign currency No. 40703840038170201560
Correspondent-bank: The bank of New-York, |
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© 2006 Фонд "В защиту прав заключенных" |
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