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 Russia of a tightening of the regime of imprisonment, the collective punishment of large groups of prisoners, beatings of prisoners, torture, and unlawful confinement in penalty isolators and cell-type facilities has become a regular practice.

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.