http://www.fidh.org/spip.php?article5895
Publication of an international fact-finding mission Report
On the occasion of the world day against the death penalty, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) publishes a report on death penalty in Japan, entitled “The death penalty in Japan: the law of silence, going against the international trend”.
This report is the outcome of a fact-finding mission conducted by FIDH in July 2008, in order to assess the measures taken by the Japanese government to implement the recommendations made by a previous investigation, conducted in 2003.
The conclusions of the report are appalling. According to Florence Bellivier, General Secretary of FIDH “Japan continues to condemn criminals to death, and incarcerate them up for decades, in prisons where secrecy and isolation are commonplace, in total disregard of the world opinion”. In addition, the rhythm of the executions has accelerated over the recent years. “2008 has been a record year, with more executions this year than in any other of the last fifteen years. We are witnessing a real step backwards” added Dan Van Raemdonck, Vice-President of FIDH. Thirteen persons have been executed since the beginning of the year, and 102 are currently on death row. There has not been a single retrial of a death penalty case since 1986, and no convicted prisoner has been pardoned since 1975.
“We are also worried about the reforms concerning the criminal procedure, which will take effect before the end of the year. Those reforms may strengthen the inequality between the prosecution and the defense, which would lead to a rise of the number of death sentences” declared Jia-Zhen Wu, board member of the Taiwanese Association for Human Rights, who participated in FIDH mission.
FIDH calls the Japanese government and lawmakers to adopt, as soon as possible, a moratorium on the death penalty, as a first step towards abolition. In the meantime, FIDH requests Japan, in particular, to reduce the number of crimes punishable by death, reform the custody system, and guarantee a greater equality between the prosecution and the defence.
http://www.phr.org.il/phr/article.asp?articleid=621&catid=58&pcat=-1&lang=ENG
"The Sounds of Silence: Isolation and Solitary Confinement of Palestinians Prisoners in Israeli Detention" A report by Physicians for Humans Rights-Israel and A-Damir, August 2008
12 Oct 2008
Tens of prisoners are held in isolation in Israeli prisons each year on grounds of state, prison or prisoners' security. Isolated prisoners are held alone in a separate cell or with another prisoner who also requires isolation. Some of the Palestinian prisoners are isolated on grounds related to state security, whereas others suffer from mental or social difficulties that complicate their being with other prisoners.
Much research has been conducted on the effects of isolation on mental health, all of which indicate the severe long term mental damage and sometimes irreversible damages it inflicts upon the isolated person, whether on those suffering from prior mental problems or not. The grave consequences of isolation have also been recognized by the Israel Prison Service (IPS), which stated: "there is no doubt that there exists a limited time limit, after which most people will find that solitary confinement is intolerable and will suffer from long term effects as a result".
The condition of the Palestinian prisoners held in isolation is much worse. The report shows that isolated Palestinians are held in isolation for long periods of time, sometimes for more than twenty years, in harsher conditions in comparison to isolated Jewish prisoners. They are held alone in their cells for 23 hours a day with minimal means of passing the time, and like non-isolated Palestinian prisoners, they are not entitled hold telephone conversations and are sometimes denied visits for long periods of time due to "security" reasons.
Isolated prisoners, whether suffering from prior mental problems or not, are not properly attended. Mental health services in the Israel Prison Service are deficient: they are limited to administering medication only and do not include accompanying supportive therapy sessions. The condition of isolated Palestinians prisoners is worse in this respect as well: prison psychiatrists do not speak Arabic and interact with the patients through a translator belonging to prison staff. This mediation enhances the lack of trust between the prisoner and the physician. Furthermore, the mental healths personnel's unfamiliarity with the social codes of the Palestinian population creates an additional obstacle to providing optimal mental health treatment. Lastly, the Palestinian prisoners are not eligible for the services of social workers which are given to criminal prisoners. And so, rather than working towards a less damaging therapeutic and security alternatives, prison and security authorities use isolation as a default mechanism.
The report reveals the ethical problems derived from the involvement of IPS physicians in the isolation process: IPS physicians gave their opinions regarding the prisoners' fitness to be held in isolation, and today take part in a system that was proven to be harmful to the mental and physical health of their patients. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel views this as yet another example for the situation of dual loyalty on part of the medical staff: their loyalty to the IPS subordinated their loyalty the patient. The psychiatrists who examine the isolated prisoners, though not employed by the do not protest against the harms of the isolation nor act against.
In order to maintain the rights and health of the isolated Palestinian prisoners, as well as the rules of medical ethics, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel is recommending that the Ministry of Health, The Israel Medical Association and its member, the Israeli Psychiatric Association, combat the mechanism of isolation in Israeli prisons and prevent physicians' involvement in it. We recommend that a physician examining an isolated prisoner will recommend his or her removal from isolation, as it is certain to be extremely harmful to the prisoner.