Fundasaun Mahein, 22 Setembru 2010
Komunikadu da Imprenza
Prizaun no Responsabilidade husu Guarda Prizioneirus Sira iha Timor-Leste (hetan relatoriu iha ne’e)
Oras ne’e dadaun governu deside tau Prizaun iha fatin tolu hanesan Dili, Baucau, no Gleno. Tuir Foundasaun Mahein (FM), Timor-Leste nudar nasaun demokratiku ida persija sytema prisuan ne’ebe diak. FM mos fiar katk prizaun lao’s hanesan fatin nebe sulan ema para atu hein sira nia julgamentu ka atu serve sentence ba ema ne’ebe simu tiha ona sentence, maibe mos hanesan fatin ida ne’ebe bele rehabilita prisonariu sira hodi sai cidadaun ne’ebe diak liu bainhira sira sa’i husi prisaun. Ho rasaun ida ne’e, FM simu ho laran luak decisaun governu nia atu hari tan no reabilita prisaun iha ne’ebe horas ne’e dadaun iha Timor-Leste.
FM hanoin katak wainhira hasoru ka infrenta realidade hirak ne’e, polítika husi prizaun la sés dook husi problema limitasaun orsamentu, dezenvolvimentu fíziku, total husi prizioneirus ne’ebé hetok aumenta bá bebeik husi tempu bá tempu, total guarda prizioneirus ne’ebé mak sei natoon ka seidauk sufisiente wainhira ita kompara ho total prizioneirus sira ne’ebé iha oras ne’e dau-daun inklui mós la sés husi esfórsu internal hanesan oinsá bele hamenus kondenadu sira ne’ebé mak hetok aumenta bá bebeik, oinsá ho operasionalidade polítika iha prizaun bele la’o nafatin ho limitasoens hirak ne’ebé mak infrenta hela dadaun. FM hanoin katak ho ambiente ida hanesan ne’e, susar atu hari systema prisaun ida ne’ebe respeita principiu demokratiku no direitus humanus.
Tuir FM katak oras ne’e dau-daun guarda prizioneirus sira ne’e be iha ho total mais ou menus la to’o 200 (189 pessoas), husi total guarda prizionais hirak ne’e fahe fali bá iha prizaun Díli no Prizaun Gleno ninian mak hanesan 151 pessoas hala’o sira nia kna’ar iha Prizaun Díli no 38 pessoas hala’o sira nia kna’ar iha Prizaun Gleno. Tan nune’e, FM observa katak numeru guarda prisaun nia la proporsional ho numeru prisinariu ne’ebe hela iha centru detensaun Becora no Gleno.
Total prizioneirus ne’ebe FM observa hamutuk ema na’in 222 pessoas, divida bá iha Prizaun Díli (Becora) hamutuk ema 194 pessoas, no prizioneirus iha Prizaun Gleno hamutuk ema 28 pessoas. Total prizioneirus hirak ne’e iha mós prizioneirus jovem hamutuk 17 Pessoas ho idade mais ou menus 17 mai kraik maibé agora dau-daun sira hela iha prizaun hamutuk ho ema adultu sira mesmu sira hela iha bloku ketak ida. Nune’é tuir FM nia hanoin katak bele mós fó impaktu negative fijiku no psikolojiku ba prisonariu labarik hirak ne’e.
FM rekomenda katak presiza mós hasa’e kapasidade husi guarda prizioneirus sira hanesan haruka sira hodi tuir estudu komparativu bá Estadu ka nasaun ne’ebé konsidera iha sistema jestaun diak iha area prizaun. Nune’e bele aumenta sira nia kunhesementu kona ba oinsa ema husi nasaun demokratiku seluk halo management ba sistema prisaun ida ne’ebe respeita prinsipiu demokratiku no direitus humanus.
Finalmente, FM mós rekomenda bá advogadu privadu ka defensór públiku sira ne’ebé hetan ona konfiansa husi prizioneirus sira atu bele halo vizita regular ba iha sira nia kliente atu atende sira nia problema legal. Visita regular ba prisaun husi advogadu sira mos ajuda prisonariu sira hodi kuinhese sira nia advogadu hodi nune’e sira la sente intimida liu bainhira mosu iha prosesu tribunal, FM konklui.
[End]
Atu hatene klean liu konaba asuntu ne’e bele kontaktu
Nélson Belo,
Direktor Fundasaun Mahein
Web: www.fundasaunmahein.wordpress.com
Email: direktor.mahein[at]gmail.com ,
tlp +670 737 4222
Fundasaun Mahein, September 22, 2010
Press Release
Prisons and the Responsbility of Prison Guards in Timor-Leste.
The government of Timor-Leste has recently decided to re(build) prisons in three places including Dili, Baucau, and Gleno districts. Fundasaun Mahein (FM) observes that Timor-Leste, as an independent nation built on the democratic principles, requires a good prison system. FM believes that a detention center is not only a place to house alleged criminals waiting for their trials, but also those serving a sentence for those verdicts when they have been handed down. A detention center is also a place where individuals can be rehabilitated via various activity programs to help the prisoners become better citizens upon their release. A limited number of prisons may also have a negative impact on the human rights of the prisoners. It is for these reasons that FM greatly welcomes the government’s decision to increase the number of prisons and/or rehabilitate the existing prisons Timor-Leste.
FM underlines some of the major problems facing detention centers in Timor-Leste as ranging from the limited budget/funds to rehabilitate prisons, lack of physical development, and the increased number of prisoners that far exceeds the prison guards. All Timorese prisons are not only inadequately equipped with rehabilitative facilities but also remain understaffed. Moreover, the slow Timorese judicial system indicates that the number of prisoners will remain high, if not at its highest level of all time. According to FM, running a detention facility – one that respects democratic and human rights principles- can be immensely challenging under such circumstances.
According to FM, there are less than 200 prison guards currently working in both prisons in Timor-Leste. It is estimated that around 151 guards are working Dili at Becora prison and Gleno prison has around 38 guards. Therefore, FM observed that the number of prison guards is not proportionate with the number of detainees currently housed in both Becora and Gleno prisons.
Presently, there are around 222 detainees within Becora prison (Dili) accommodating around 194 detainees and Gleno houses around 28 detainees. Among these prisoners are also 17 juveniles. However, due to the absence of a separate juvenile facility, all the minors are currently housed with the adults although in a different block. Such a situation, FM believes, may have adverse physical and psychological impact on the juveniles.
FM also recommends that the government provide capacity development programs to the prison guards through comparative studies in countries with well-established prison management. Such programs will enhance their knowledge and expose them to different ways in which other democratic governments run their prison system- one which respects human rights and democratic principles.
Finally, FM also recommends that lawyers (both private and public defenders) should make regular visits to the prisons and particularly their clients to identify and attend to the legal problems the prisoners are facing. Having a regular visit from lawyers will help expose the prisoners to the basics of the law and hence make them feel less intimidated when brought before the court, FM concludes.
For more informasaun on this issue, please contact
Nélson Belo,
Director of Fundasaun Mahein
Web: www.fundasaunmahein.wordpress.com
Email: direktor.mahein[at]gmail.com
tlp +670 737 4222
