Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Just after sham elected president James alix Michel Crossed the floor from the EU to the Arabs Wikileakes hands him on a platter without sparing the americans (Gurkhas cannot fully cope with the prison maning so how will they do at sea protecting seychellois boats from somali pirates???




Reference id aka Wikileaks id #210361  ? 

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Subject Seychelles Prison System: Bad Enough Without Adding Pirates
Origin Embassy Port Louis (Mauritius)
Cable time Fri, 5 Jun 2009 08:27 UTC
Classification CONFIDENTIAL
Source http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/06/09PORTLOUIS169.html
References 09PORTLOUIS143, 09PORTLOUIS144, 09PORTLOUIS146
Referenced by 09PORTLOUIS411
History First published on Thu, 1 Sep 2011 23:24 UTC
Extras ? Comments

VZCZCXRO1311 RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO DE RUEHPL #0169/01 1560827 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 050827Z JUN 09 FM AMEMBASSY PORT LOUIS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4582 INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE RUEHAN/AMEMBASSY ANTANANARIVO 0824 RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 3046 RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 2534 RHMFISS/CJTF HOA RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

Hide header C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT LOUIS 000169 SIPDIS AF/E FOR MARIA BEYZEROV AF/RSO FOR JUN BANDO AND MIKE BITTRICK S/P FOR PETER HARELL L FOR BUCHHOLS AND BINIAZ ANTAN FOR DAO NAIROBI FOR KUSLO PRETORIA FOR LEGATT E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2009 TAGS: PHUM [Human Rights], MARR [Military and Defense Arrangements], PREL [External Political Relations], MASS [Military Assistance and Sales], MOPPS, KCRM [Criminal Activity], SE [Seychelles] SUBJECT: SEYCHELLES PRISON SYSTEM: BAD ENOUGH WITHOUT ADDING PIRATES REF: A. PORT LOUIS 38 B. PORT LOUIS 137 C. PORT LOUIS 143 D. PORT LOUIS 146 E. PORT LOUIS 144 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Virginia Blaser for reasons 1.4 (b and d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Incidents of piracy have threatened the economic livelihood of the Seychelles, yet the small and troubled island nation lacks the infrastructure to house a potential influx of pirates, and is barely capable of detaining the alleged pirates in custody now. A recent preliminary report by the independent, newly-formed Seychelles National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) adds a new dimension to the negative picture of the Seychelles' prison system and its violations of human rights. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) This message continues a series on Seychelles' responses to piracy (reftels). Piracy incidents in Seychelles' Exclusive Economic Zone have threatened tourism and fisheries, the twin pillars of its prosperity (ref B). However, the Seychelles' fragile democracy, debt-wracked economy, and uncertain legal system make trials and detention of pirates there problematic at best (ref C and previous). In this message, the status of Seychelles' overcrowded and troubled prison system throws additional light on the question of a Seychellois response to piracy. ------------- Prison Update ------------- ¶3. (U) The Montagne Posee Prison (MPP), now the only prison facility on Seychelles, can hold a maximum of 400 inmates. It was built to replace the Long Island prison, and received its first inmates in September 2006. Until the completion of the women's wing in February 2009, part of the male prison was sectioned off to accommodate the female prisoners. According to a recent report by an independent commission, as of March 11 the MPP's population stood at 317, consisting of 194 convicted men, 12 convicted women, 106 men on remand, three women on remand, one "civil imprisonment" and one sentenced at "the President's pleasure." According to press reports, the alleged pirates in custody are separated, based on how they were captured, in three groups at three different police detention centers away from the MPP. According to AG Govinden, this separation from Seychellois is for their own safety. ----------------------------- Options For Detaining Pirates ----------------------------- ¶4. (SBU) In May 5 and 6 meetings (see reftels) with contacts such as the President and his Principal Secretary, the Attorney General, the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), and the Leader of the Opposition, Charge D'Affaires was told by all counterparts that Seychelles lacks the capacity to detain any new influx of pirates and barely has the capacity to detain the suspect pirates in custody now. In a May 5 meeting with CDA Blaser, Principal Secretary (PS) Jean Paul Adam, Office of the President, was the first to raise the issue of the courts' immense backlog and how new piracy cases would force them to create new options due to their lack of capacity. The backlog issue was similarly raised by the Attorney General and the Opposition Leader in subsequent meetings with CDA. ¶5. (C) Attorney General (AG) Ronny Govinden offered the following three options: renovating and reopening the closed High Security Prison and other detention facilities, releasing remand prisoners charged with lesser crimes to accommodate incoming pirates, or, "building an outer island prison a la Guantanamo." Govinden's options represent the full spectrum of options raised by Post contacts in separate PORT LOUIS 00000169 002 OF 003 meetings. For example, in separate May 5 meetings with CDA, FIU Director Declan Barber and Opposition Leader Wavel Ramkalawan also mentioned that since Seychelles does not currently have sufficient prison space it would have to begin releasing remand prisoners if an influx of pirates were to be detained. ¶6. (C) As for the first option of renovating and reopening old facilities, Post contacts were not shy about needing assistance from development partners in almost every phase of renovation given the current economic status of Seychelles. "If we are expected to cooperate, it comes with a price tag because we do not have money," AG Govinden stressed. That said, however, the overcrowding of MPP and lack of separation between remandees and prisoners was an issue before the piracy problem. The local press reported that the Department of Internal Affairs plans to begin building separate buildings at MPP to house juvenile and remand prisoners within a year. Meanwhile, the opposition party weekly "Regar" reported in late April that renovations have been underway at the former Grand Police High Security prison for some time, although authorities deny that it will be used again to house prisoners. ¶7. (C) Post contacts shared negative views on the option of releasing remand prisoners charged with lesser crimes in order to increase capacity to detain pirates, suggesting it should be employed only as a last resort. There is a palpable public fear in Seychelles over a recent rash of prison escapes, and Seychellois in general do not want the accused released (ref A). As for the creation of an outer island prison, AG Govinden suggested to CDA that this is actually an option being considered by a newly-formed high commission on piracy, but did recognize that it would be a costly option in tough economic times. ----------------------- The Human Rights Factor ----------------------- ¶8. (C) Post has previously noted the poor conditions and reported human rights violations at the MPP (ref A). After recent violent incidents occurred in the prison on March 6, 11, and 15, the GOS commissioned an independent human rights investigation team from the NHRC to inspect the prisons. On March 23, the NHRC presented a draft report to opposition leader Wavel Ramkalawan and President James Michel that echoed Post reporting on human rights violations and subpar prison conditions. Ramkalawan gave a copy of this draft report to EMBOFFS in a May 6 meeting. While the report is purposefully structured to capture what occurred in the aforementioned violent incidents, it acknowledges that the underlying issues contributing to prison unrest will need in-depth study and long-term solutions. The general overview section captures the story of MPP in a sentence: "It was supposed to be a modern prison but from the beginning of its operation it fell well short of expectation." ¶9. (C) The NHRC report concluded in no uncertain terms that "the human rights of the inmates were violated and their safety and security were seriously compromised by the action of the prison authorities," based on recounts of prisoner beatings, use of attack dogs, and observations of inhumane prison conditions strikingly similar to those reported earlier by Post. NHRC similarly noted a breakdown in prison authority, due to the MPP superintendent's lack of prison management experience, that may have led to the violence. (NOTE: Prison Superintendent Gelage Hoareau, a former army officer, was eventually sacked in May 2009. END NOTE.) In addition to the disciplinary problems and excessive use of force, the NHRC noted that the prison regularly ran out of basic necessities, which added tension to an already volatile atmosphere and may have sparked the March 11 violent incident. ¶10. (C) The NHRC report gives 13 recommendations going forward, and all seemed to underscore the lack of prison PORT LOUIS 00000169 003 OF 003 capacity and ways to confront this reality. Standout recommendations include: --other institutions should collaborate in order to reduce the number of remand prisoners in MPP. (NOTE: 34 percent of the prison population are remand prisoners. The backlog of the judiciary system is regularly blamed for prison overcrowding and prolonged remand prisoner detention. END NOTE.) --remand prisoners should be kept separate from convicted ones and juveniles kept separate from adults. (NOTE: On May 27, The Seychelles Nation reported that this recommendation has already been implemented. END NOTE.) --basic necessities such as soap, water, and appropriate utensils should be made available for inmates at all times. (NOTE: Prisoners signed a petition dated February 8 reporting water shortages and lack of basic commodities being very common. END NOTE.) -- humane sanitation facilities should be put in place. -- additional staff should be recruited and appropriately trained, and authority should be clearly demarcated among the various law enforcement entities present within the prison premises so as to not undermine the Prison Superintendent's authority. ------- COMMENT ------- ¶11. (C) Thus far, the GOS has kept the promise of the President and others that Seychelles would protect the human rights of the accused pirates in custody. The GOS has protected them from public vitriol, properly fed them, and seeks to provide them with due process and a fair trial. Given Seychelles' lack of prison capacity and the NHRC conclusion on recent prison human rights violations, the promise may be difficult to keep going forward, and would likely be strained to the breaking point by the addition of even moderate numbers of piracy suspects or convicts. BLASER

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

The article shows that we donot have a prison but rather a GOULAG.A communist tool of oppression and the place for grave,and imaginable human right abuses.



Jeanne D'Arc

Anonymous said...

So what should the prisoners have, especialy those bloody Somalis? A five star resort with swimming pool?

Anonymous said...

YES! The prisoners should have all that plus the use of Jeanne D'arc for shagging and blow jobs!

Anonymous said...

No magic pills for failure madanm potter sorry very sorry.

Anonymous said...

The prisoners should have their Humand rights respected.The problem Pp does not understand the purpose of a prison.A person condamned for whatever and is send to prison and that his condamnation namely keep away,out of contact from others.And that is his punishment.Once the person is behind bars ,His or her human rights must not be abused,therefore a prisoner in jail must have all he or she needs as a any free person whith the only exception that he or she has limited rights in regard to free movement and that is achieve by having the person behind bars apart from that a prisoner should be treated as any of person and his dignity and huamn rights does not become less important because he is behind bars.

On Pirates ,best option to negocaite with Puntaland in order that they can be repatriated to the land and stay behind bars there.By the way i remember Morgan telling last year that Pp has an accord of repatraition with Puntaland.So it seems the solution is here ,it just has to be implemented.

Morevover,Pirates are criminals just like Michel the butcher who do not abide by any law an other solution which is also cheaper is that the President give our men in uniform the order to shot on any Somalis criminals in our waters.they are illegal not us,we will be simply defending our EEZ by all means ,a right we have as a Nation ,a right we have according to Interantional laws in regard to sovereignty.And if they do not want to be kill then the can stay in the country and stop bullshiting others.

To YES.
I think Potter would better fit in this role especailly for she is being paid for a position in the Pp gvoernemnt thatshe has nothing to do than praise Michel failures at least she could do something for the money and this we also avoid that the hundreds of prostitutes created by Pp do not become sex victims of Somalis pirates they are already suffering enough under what Pp has created for them

Jeanne D'Arc

Anonymous said...

Pirates have more human rights respected in Seychelles, then our very own citizens.


SAD

Anonymous said...

If we get rid of the prohibition law, we'll have room in prison for the real criminal.

A FREEDOM LOVING SESELWA

Anonymous said...

One of the problem of the over crowded prison is under communists there is no distinction between ,hardcore criminals,recidivists,and petit thefs.Under pp today many persons who committment minors crimes like _small drug dealers,etc are being jailed before even find guilty.Some of them even sit for years just after to find out that they were innocent.many jail sentences could be repalce by financial penalties -for instance ,if a person was caught witha few gramms of hers and the person ever had any criminal records before and it is his or her first time to be involve in such an act-the person could be penalize financially instead of send him_her of full up the prison ,to the finacial penaltity could be added a difine time limit in which the culprit would ensure that he or she does not comitt other crimes,else the person may be jailed.

Such an action will_reduce incaceration,bring money to the justice dept,give the culprit a chance to change,reduce state expenses in regard to providing prisoners free of charge all they need etc..

Jeanne D'arc

chris said...

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I congratulate you on your blog!
Maybe I would have the opportunity to welcome you on mine too!
My blog is in french, but on the right is the Google translator!
good day
cordially
Chris
http://sweetmelody87.blogspot.com/
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
http://joyeux-noel-sweetmelody.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

SA WEBSITE MELODY E UN WEBSITE POU BAN KALALA.

Anonymous said...

Sweetmelody
Donot confuse French with François .

Anonymous said...

SweetMelody!

You have come to the wrong place to advertise your blog. Pa met ou kwiyer kari dan marmit ladob. This is not the place or time for vanity and fantasy. We are too busy dealing with reality right now.

A FREEDOM LOVING SESELWA