RIOTS IN PRISONS

29. July 2005

AUSTRALIA

nach einem zweimonatigen hungerstreik ist ein 50 jähriger mann erkrankt.die knastleitung ist der meining der hungerstreik sei die vorbreitung zur flucht. Der mann protestiert mit dem hungerstreik gegen seine verlegung in einen hochsicherheitstrakt.

Hunger strike linked to jail break plan

A NOTORIOUS hitman who once stabbed Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read in a prison brawl is seriously ill after a two-month hunger strike that prison sources suspect may be linked to an elaborate escape plan.Gregory John Brazel, who is serving a 34-year sentence for the execution murders of two prostitutes in 1990, has been refusing to eat after authorities placed him in the Acacia unit of Victoria's Barwon Prison, the maximum-security wing also used to house underworld figures arrested during the police crackdown on Melbourne's brutal underworld war.

Brazel, who was also convicted of the 1982 murder of hardware store owner Mildred Hanmer, is considered one of Australia's most difficult prisoners and has spent less than five years out of prison during the past 30 years.He has more than 75 criminal convictions and been involved in at least 25 violent incidents while incarcerated, including the 1978 stabbing of Read at Pentridge prison.

Prison sources say Brazel, a former altar boy and son of a NSW detective, has been refusing to eat for the past two months and surviving only on milk, which he occasionally mixes with his own blood.The sources say Brazel, 50, is emaciated and very weak and spends most days in bed.It is believed Brazel started his protest after being moved from Barwon Prison's Banksia unit for disciplinary reasons.

Officers at the prison were briefed on Brazel's condition this week and warned the hunger strike might be part of an elaborate escape plan.They suspect Brazel is hoping to be transferred from the maximum security unit to the hospital unit at Port Phillip Prison and may try to abscond.

Brazel has a long history of security breaches within Victorian prisons, including taking a staff member hostage in 1991.A 1998 prison bashing of Brazel by four inmates resulted in a sensational trial in which the defendants threw excrement at the jury, repeatedly sang the Collingwood Football Club anthem and exposed their buttocks.

[  news.com.au

22. July 2005

GUANTANAMO

Guantanamo Inmates Declare Hunger Strike

[  Guantanamo Inmates Declare Hunger Strike

03. JULY 2005

USA

bei auseinandersetzungen im allegheny county knast wurden 2 gefangene und 6 wärter verwundet, mind. drei gefangenen droht eine erneute anklage.

Jail brawl over TV sends six guards, two inmates to hospital

PITTSBURGH - A brawl at the Allegheny County jail sparked by an argument over television sent six guards and two inmates being to the hospital with minor injuries, the warden said.Investigators were still working out details of Saturday's melee, but Warden Ramon Rustin said the trouble began when guards ordered inmates in the maximum-security pod into the cells after some inmates began arguing when a guard either turned off the TV or changed the channel.Some inmates refused to return to their cells, he said.

"Then the officers tried to escort them to their cells," Rustin said. "That's when they turned on the officers."Investigators haven't determined how many inmates were involved, but Rustin said it wasn't the entire pod, which houses about 56 inmates. At least three inmates will be charged, he said, and others could be charged when jail Internal Affairs officers complete an investigation.Rustin did not identify the guards or inmates involved.

"All of our officers and supervisors did an excellent job of containing the situation and making sure it didn't escalate," he said.One guard was treated for torn ligaments in his leg and five others were treated for bruises, Rustin said. Two inmates also were treated for similar injuries.The pod will remain locked down during the investigation, Rustin said.

[  timesleader.com

29. JUNI 2005

RUSSIA

etwa 260 gefangene im lgov knast in der kursk provinz haben sich aus protest gegen mißhandlungen und die unerträglichen lebensbedingungen im knast selbst verletzt.

Prisoners slash themselves in protest

KURSK, Russia, June 29 (UPI) -- Some 260 prisoners in western Russia have slashed their wrists or necks in protest over poor prison conditions and alleged mistreatment.Doctors said the wounds of the inmates of Lgov prison in Kursk region were not life-threatening.The regional prosecutor, Alexander Babichev, confirmed on national television that "260 inmates mutilated themselves" to demand improved conditions and the resignation of the prison authorities, the BBC reported Tuesday.

"Following checks, facts concerning illegal treatment of detainees have been established, and those that allowed these violations will be prosecuted," he said.The self-mutilation began in 10 sections of the jail simultaneously Sunday night, investigators said.Relatives of the prisoners spent Tuesday outside the jail demanding access to the inmates. Some reportedly threatened to start a hunger strike unless they got satisfactory answers.

Human rights activists said they will conduct their own investigation, and are sending a delegation from Moscow to Lgov.The Russian prison service condemned the protest as an act of disobedience, saying inmates had "refused to accept legitimate demands of the prison authorities for the enforcement of detention rules," the Interfax news agency reported.

[  sciencedaily.com

29. JUNI 2005

INDIA

auseinandersetzungen zwischen wärtern und gefangenen im cuddalore knast.

Wardens, prisoners clash Cuddalore jail

Cuddalore, June 29. (PTI): A tense situation prevailed in the Cuddalore Central Jail here today after warders and prisoners clashed.Police said a warder, who was injured in the clash, has been hospitalised.Previous enmity and providing sub-standard food is stated to be the cause for the clash.In addition to the regular remand prisoners, about 600 undertrial prisoners are also lodged in the jail.Meanwhile, the sub-jail warder who tried to prevent a prisoner from escaping from the Parangipettai jail near here on June 11, succumbed to injuries in a Pondicherry Government hospital yesterday.Police said the remand prisoner attacked the warder Raja Ram Mohan with a stone and escaped.

[  hindu.com

26. JUNI 2005

PAKISTAN

riot im sargodha knast bei dem mind. 1 gefangener starb und mehrere verletzt wurden. Auslöser des riots war dass trotz der enormen hitze den gefangenen frisches,sauberes trinkwasser verweigert wurde.

sargodha jail returns to normalcy after unrest

SARGODHA: Rioting prisoners returned to their barracks after talks with the Inspector General Prisons and other officials and conditions returned to normalcy after unrest in Sargodha District Jail. Authorities earlier confirmed death of a prisoner and several wounded in the jail disturbance. Injured jail inmates were admitted in Sargodha hospital.

Prisoners told Geo that the jail inmates in extremely hot weather conditions were devoid of clean drinking water in the jail. The jail staffers subjected prisoners to violence after a prisoner Sajawal filed a petition in court and prisoners told the court about their plight.

This infuriated the prisoners and they attacked the jail staffers after Friday prayers overpowering two assistant superintendents and other members of staff and held them hostage. According to the inmates jail staffers and police opened firing upon them and several prisoners were injured, which were admitted in Sargodha hospital.

Large contingents of police deployed at the jail to control the alarming situation. A jail inmate from Islampura in Sargodha Arshad was died in the firing while over one dozen prisoners were injured in the firing. Prisoners released two assistant superintendents and returned to barracks late night after lengthy talks with jail officers. The prisoners however were demanding registration of murder case for killing of a jail inmate.

[  www.geo.tv

20 injured in Sargodha jail riot in Punjab

ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of prisoners took two officers hostage and 20 people were injured in a riot at Sargodha jail, prison officials said. The rioting broke out when more than 1,000 prisoners attempted to rush the gate of the jail in Sargodha after the Friday congregation in the prison mosque, Jail Superintendent Razaullah Khan said. It was not immediately clear if the rebellious prisoners had been attempting to escape. Prison guards fired into the air and used tear-gas after which the mob retreated into the building, taking with them two officials, Khan said.

"They are still holding the hostages and we are negotiating with them to settle the unrest," Khan said. "Ten inmates and ten officials have been injured in the clashes so far." Some sources said the violent incident was linked to protest by prisoners over their living conditions in the jail, which houses some 2,000 inmates. Prisons in Pakistan are generally overcrowded and lack adequate facilities./?/

[  pakistantimes.net

JUNI 2005

ECUADOR

Seit dem 20. juni gibt es einen landesweiten hungerstreik in den knästen, dem sich 95% der gefangenen ( ca. 11.000) angeschlossen haben. am 23. haben sich 13 gefangene kreuzigen lassen( zwei mit nägeln) und mehrere gefangene nähten sich den mund zu. Angebl. sollen die gefangene in 7 von den 34 knästen die es in ecuador gibt "die kontrolle" übernommen haben.

[  more infos in spanish at indymedia.ecuador

(…) Verschiedene Männergefängnisse sind außer Kontrolle. Einige Häftlinge verbrennen Möbel in den Höfen. In Mindestens fünf Städten, einschließlich Quito und Guayaquil gibt es Aufstände in Gefängnissen, mit Forderungen nach Verkürzung der Haftzeiten, Änderungen der Prozessordnungen und besseren Haftbedingungen.

Der Anführer der Gefangenen, Mercedes Torres, sagte Canal 4 gegenüber „ wir werden die drastischsten Methoden anwenden, denn es scheint so, dass sich die Regierung nicht für das Knastsystem interessiert…wir sind entschieden zu sterben.“ „Wir sind müde immer wieder alleine zu bitten und zu bitten, sie hören uns niemals zu und ich glaube deshalb war es gut die Medien als Schutzschild zu nehmen, damit sie uns zuhören..“ Torres bezieht sich hierbei auf die Geiselnahme von 6 Journalisten…Im Frauengefängnis, mit 470 Gefangenen werden 130 BesucherInnen, 3 Journalisten und 3 Kameraleute festgehalten. (…) Die Gefangenen machen Löcher in die Wände, weshalb die Polzei um die Gefängnisse herum patroulliert um mögliche Fluchten zu verhindern. (…)

Una de las líderes de la revuelta carcelaria en Ecuador declaró que están dispuestos a morir antes que ceder en sus demandas; el gobierno aún no se pronuncia

QUITO, Ecuador, abr. 7, 2004.- Lejos de mermar la tensión de los últimos días en algunas prisiones de Ecuador, una de las reclusas líderes advirtió el miércoles al gobierno que están decididas a morir si no atienden sus demandas. En tanto, en varias prisiones masculinas se conjuró el caos. Varios presos quemaron pilas de muebles en los patios de sus centros de reclusión. En al menos cinco ciudades, incluso Quito y Guayaquil, se registran motines de presos que, al igual que las internas, exigen rebajas de penas, cambio de los procedimientos penales y mejores condiciones carcelarias.

El gobierno aún no se ha pronunciado al respecto. La dirigente de las internas, Mercedes Torres, dijo al canal 4 de televisión que "vamos a tener que tomar medidas más drásticas porque al gobierno parece que nada le importa el sistema carcelario... estamos decididas a morir". "Estamos cansadas de pedir y pedir nosotras solas, nunca nos escuchan y creo que fue bueno coger a los medios como escudo para que nos escuchen", expresó. Torres hacía referencia a la captura el martes de seis periodistas. "De aquí no va a salir nadie", añadió. En la cárcel de mujeres, con 470 reclusas, están secuestrados 130 visitantes desde el domingo, y tres periodistas y tres camarógrafos de los canales de televisión 3, 4 y 10, desde el martes.

El periodista de canal 10 de televisión, Daniel Montalvo, quien está retenido en la cárcel de mujeres de Quito dijo que "hay la tensión normal de una estadía de éstas". Entrevistado a través del teléfono celular, Montalvo dijo que las presas consideran su acción "como una carrera de resistencia y van a aguantar lo que venga, hasta el final". La televisión mostró a tres presos de la Cárcel 2, en el centro colonial, heridos con arma blanca que eran sacados por voluntarios de la Cruz Roja a través de los techos de las cárceles, y a dos policías con sus cabezas sangrando. Los efectivos fueron atacados con pedradas, arrojadas desde el interior de las prisiones, mientras custodiaban los tejados de esos edificios.

En el mismo centro de reclusión, los presos perforaron algunas paredes interiores con herramientas rudimentarias apoderándose de víveres y protagonizando conatos de fuga, lo que obligó a los policías a patrullajes por los exteriores buscando posibles fugados. En esta y otra prisión, con sus internos amotinados, se produjeron sendos incidentes en los patios y el incendio de pilas de bancas, mesas, muebles y otros objetos, en medio de un enardecido griterío. Los internos seguían en poder de tanques de gas de uso doméstico y armas cortopunzantes, con los cuales proferían amenazas. En otras cárceles del país, incluida la de Guayaquil, también se registraron incidentes aunque de menor nivel.

La Policía dispuso una fuerte vigilancia alrededor de las cárceles, con decenas de efectivos armados, e instaló sendos cordones de alambres de púas y otras medidas de seguridad. Al problema con los internos se ha unido el paro de trabajadores de las prisiones, tanto administrativos como de seguridad. Desde hace casi tres semanas estos se mantienen en un paro de actividades reclamando pago de salarios y recursos económicos para las prisiones. En tanto, delegaciones de presos de al menos cinco cárceles acudieron el miércoles a una reunión con el ministro de Gobierno, Raúl Baca, en busca de una solución. El encuentro terminó sin éxito. El ministro aseguró en televisión que "no está en nuestras manos (del gobierno) solamente", atender los pedidos de los reclusos, aduciendo que el Congreso debe impulsar leyes para superar los problemas de las prisiones.El grupo salió de sus respectivos penales bajo fuerte custodia, que los acompañó hasta las oficinas de Baca.

[  esmas.com

Ecuador responds to jail protests

24. juni 2005

Ecuador's government says it is trying to address the demands of jail inmates who have begun mutilating themselves to protest at their conditions.Interior Minister Mauricio Gandara told the BBC efforts would be made to move inmates to less crowded jails and to improve their diet.

But, he said, only Congress could make long-term changes to the penal system.A prisoner was voluntarily crucified for a short time and two women stitched their lips shut during the protests.Hundreds of other inmates in Ecuador's 34 jails have been protesting since Monday over sentencing and conditions.

They want electricity, running water and early release for good behaviour.Television stations in Ecuador showed pictures of a man being nailed to a wooden cross by fellow protesters.He grimaced in pain as he hung from the structure for several minutes, before being hauled down and given medical help.

National strike

In the women's wing of the Litoral prison, in Ecuador's second city of Guayaquil, two women were reported to have sewn their lips up with black thread to mark their hunger strike.Several other women cut themselves and used their blood to write placards calling for prison reforms while two others were buried up to their necks in a prison yard, the Associated Press reported.Inmates in Ecuador's 34 prisons began a co-ordinated hunger strike on Monday.

The protesters are calling for improvements to the infrastructure of the country's overcrowded prisons - most of which lack electricity or running water in the cells - and the re-instatement of an programme of early release for good behaviour, overturned in 2001."Today there have been crucifixions. Tomorrow there will be something worse," a prisoner told the Reuters news agency.Protests and riots in Ecuadorean prisons last year led to several deaths.

[  bbc.co.uk

Thirteen inmates in Ecuador crucify themselves in prison protest

24. JUNI 2005

Thirteen inmates, among them a Brazilian, a Chilean and a Colombian, have crucified themselves in Ecuadoran prisons as part of a protest to demand reduced sentences, a spokesman for the protesters said. The crucifixions Thursday in two penitentiaries in the port city of Guayaquil were part of a protest involving 10,000 inmates, the spokesman for the protesters, Washington Grueso, said. Two of the prisoners were still hanging from crosses Friday, he said.

Other gruesome forms of protest included blood letting, hunger strikes, stitching up of prisoners' lips, and partial burials.Grueso did not immediately report the condition of the protestors."We have initiated a series of crucifixions in all the prisons to demand from Congress a structural change in the penal system," Grueso said. He threatened the protests "will become more radicalized" if the Ecuadoran Congress does not heed the prisoners' demands, which also included better housing and rehabilitation programs.

He said the three foreign inmates all were accused of drug trafficking and had been imprisoned for more than a year without being formally sentenced.One of them, Chilean Daniel Pentenero, had nailed himself to a wooden cross and was also on a hunger strike, Grueso said, adding that more prisoners were expected to join if their demands were not met.

A meeting Thursday between the protesters and government official Mauricio Gandara ended without an agreement, Grueso said.Congress remained in recess Friday after discussing reform of the criminal code in its final debate late Thursday. The protesters have control of the interiors of seven of Ecuador's 34 prisons, which house some 11,650 inmates, though they were built to hold only 6,500.Meanwhile, authorities have increased security outside the prisons to prevent escape attempts.

[  yahoo.com

24. JUNI 2005

BRAZIL

riot in einem knast bei sao paulo.

Brazil: Prison riot at Sao Paulo facility

SAO PAULO, June 24 (UPI) -- Prisoners began rioting Friday at a penitentiary just outside Sao Paulo, setting fire to their sheets and trying to escape.Officials thwarted one escape attempt, Agencia Estado reported. So far there is no word if the prisoners have taken hostages, as is common with Brazilian prison riots.

Earlier this month prisoners rioted at a Sao Paulo facility for more than a day, rebelling for better living conditions. Five prisoners were decapitated, their heads placed on spikes and displayed on the roof of the prison. Prison riots and violence are usual in Brazil. However, decapitation of inmates is gruesome, even by Brazilian standards.

[  sciencedaily.com

10. JUNI 2005

IRAN

seit dem 7. juni ist ein mann wegen der verweigerung eines krankenhausaufenthaltes außerhalb des evin - knastes im hungerstreik. seit dezember letzten jahres versuchen die angehörigen und anwälte angemessene medizinische behandlung für nasser zarafchan durchzusetzen.

URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY
Arbitrary detention / Hunger strike

The Observatory has been informed by the Iranian League for the Defence of Human Rights (Ligue pour la défense des droits de l'Homme en Iran - LDDHI) that Mr. Nasser Zarafchan, a human rights lawyer who was imprisoned in August 2002, started a hunger strike on June 7, 2005 to protest against the fact that he was denied hospitalisation outside the Evin prison. Since December 2004, Mr. Nasser Zarafchan's family, along with his lawyers, have been asking that he be hospitalised outside the prison, in vain. He urgently needs adequate medical treatment.

Background information:
Mr. Nasser Zarafchan, who is the lawyer of Mrs. Sima Pouhandeh, the widow of Mr. Mohammed Djafar Pouhandeh - a writer and human rights defender assassinated in 1998 -, was sentenced to three years in jail by the Tehran military court on March 18, 2002, for " possession of firearms and alcohol ". He was also sentenced to two additional years of imprisonment and fifty whiplashes for his statements to the press regarding the lawsuit of the alleged murderers of Iranian intellectuals, which ended in January 2002. As Mr. Nasser Zarafchan's health seriously deteriorated because of lungs problems and a nephritis attack, he was hospitalised on December 2, 2004, in the Evin prison. He was brought back to his cell three days later

[  omct.org

07. JUNI 2005

IRAQ

riot in abu ghraib , 6 gefangene und 4 wärter wurden dabei verletzt. Grund des riots soll eine missglückte flucht gewesen sei.

Rioting at Abu Ghraib

Dozens of prisoners rioted against U.S. guards in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison.Dozens of Iraqi prisoners rioted against guards in the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad and pelted them with stones, the American military said in a released statement on Tuesday.The clash between detainees and military officers started when one prisoner tried to escape under cover of darkness on Sunday night, aided by a violent sandstorm.

"The disturbance occurred shortly after a detainee, using the hours of darkness and a heavy sandstorm, was caught trying to escape," the statement said.The escapee was recaptured by guards, the army said, "after which prisoners in various parts of the prison started to throw stones onto portable light generators and at prison guards".A rapid response unit brought the situation under control but not before four guards and six prisoners were injured during the riot.

The rioting in Abu Ghraib follows a similar incident which took place in Camp Bucca a year ago, where prisoners rioted against the conditions and their mistreatment at the hands of military officials.Also in May three detainees managed to escape from Abu Ghraib.It is believed that the U.S. army is currently holding some 3,500 people at Abu Ghraib where some of the detainees are being kept in tents despite the ferocious heat of the Iraqi summer.

[  aljazeera.com

03.Juni 2005

BRD

Skandalöse Zustände im Abschiebeknast Berlin / Grünau –

Seit sechs Wochen brodelt es im Abschiebeknast Grünau, weil sich die dort Inhaftierten gegen Abschiebungen in Folterstaaten wie die Türkei, lange Haftdauern, unklare Zukunftsperspektiven, alltäglichen Schikanen durch das Wachpersonal und unzureichende medizinische Versorgung wehren.

Seit dem 16. April befinden sich einige Häftlinge im Hungerstreik. Erwurde ausgesetzt, weil die Verantwortlichen die Einsetzung eines Runden Tisches zugesagt hatten. Als deutlich wurde, dass außer einem Gespräch am 27.5. nichts passieren würde, setzten fünf von ihnen den Streik fort.

Am 28.5. zeigte sich wieder einmal, wie recht die Betroffenen mit ihrer Kritik haben: Erst auf massiven Druck seiner Mitgefangenen und nach stundenlanger Verzögerung wurde ein schwer kranker Mann ins Krankenhaus gebracht. Dort stellt sich heraus, dass er einen Herzinfarkt erlitten hatte. Die Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt. Für heute, den 3.6. ist die Abschiebung eines der Hungerstreikenden geplant. Er ist Kurde, wird in die Türkei abgeschoben und befürchtet Folter und Gefängnis. Er ist Zeuge des Herzinfarktes gewesen. Zwei weitere Zeugen dieser Misshandlung, die ebenfalls im Hungerstreik waren, wurden diese Woche freigelassen. Ein Tunesier, der ebenfalls im Hungerstreik war, ist abgeschoben und direkt nach seiner Ankunft in Tunesien inhaftiert worden.

Noch immer sind zwei Gefangene entschlossen, den Hungerstreik fortzusetzen

Um die Forderungen der Gefangenen zu unterstützen und die Zustände im Abschiebegefängnis weiter öffentlich zu machen, findet am

Donnerstag, 9. Juni, 18.00 Uhr S-Bhf. Spindlersfeld eine Kundgebung und Demonstration zum Abschiebegefängnis statt

für das Bündnis antirassistischer Gruppen:

Antirassistische Initiative

Initiative gegen das Chipkartensystem

Komitee zur Unterstützung politischer Gefangener in Iran – Berlin

Berliner Flüchtlingsrat

Palästinensische Gemeinde Berlin

30. MAI 2005

INDIA

im nagbur - knast sind fast 1000 gefangene im hungerstreik wegen der versetzung eines beamten, der in den nur 60 tagen versuchte einige für die gefangenen positive veränderungen durchzusetzen.

Nagpur jail inmates protest DIG's transfer

Inmates of the Nagpur jail have gone on a hunger strike to protest against the transfer of DIG Prisons. Almost a thousand prisoners are on a hunger strike to stop the transfer of Deputy Inspector General of Prison, Dr Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay. "When I first visited the jail this morning they had read the news of my transfer in the newspapers and looked agitated," said Dr Upadhyay, who had been in charge of the prison for the past two months. But it seems the 60 days were enough to make Dr Upadhay perhaps the most popular DIG in Nagpur jail. He has started yoga, meditation classes, laughter clubs and sought improvement in the quality of food served to jail inmates.

Such measures by Dr Upadhay have made him a favorite not just with prisoners but even the locals and NGOs, who are extremely happy with the pace of reforms. "Dr Upadhyay initiated several correctional measures and he should be allowed to stay longer for the benefit of the jail and society. The government is sending negative message to the society," said Kishore Thuteja, convenor, Laughter Club. It's the first time in the history of Maharashtra that prisoners have gone on protest seeking a stay on the transfer of a police officer. Perhaps it's a reminder for the government to improve conditions for those behind bars.

[  ndtv.com

24. MAI 2005

PALESTINE

neun gefangene die im hungerstreik sind / waren haben diesen für 10 tagen unterbrochen , da es gespräche mit dem innenminister geben wird. die gefangenen werden seit dem 25. februar ohne anklage unter dem verdacht der beteiligung an einem anschlag in tel aviv festgehalten.

Palestinian militants suspend jail hunger strike

RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 24 (Reuters) - Nine militants held by Palestinian security forces over a suicide bombing in Israel suspended a hunger strike on Tuesday after Palestinian lawmakers promised to look into their demands, officials said. The Islamic Jihad members have been held without charge since their arrest shortly after the Feb. 25 bombing that killed five Israelis at a nightclub in Tel Aviv. The militants set aside their four-day-old hunger strike after being visited by legislators who promised to discuss their case with Interior Minister Nasser Youssef, members of the lawmakers' group said.

"These guys were arrested illegally without warrants and without the pressing of charges," lawmaker Hatem Abdel-Qader, from President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement, told Reuters. Another Fatah lawmaker, Qaddoura Fares, said the prisoners had agreed to shelve their protest for 10 days to await the outcome of talks with Youssef. The Tel Aviv attack has been the only suicide bombing since Palestinian militants agreed to a de facto ceasefire at Abbas's behest early this year, suspending a 4 1/2-year revolt, to give him a chance to start peace negotiations with Israel.

Relatives said the nine prisoners denied any involvement in the bombing and accused the Palestinian Authority of "appeasing Israel" by keeping them behind bars. Abbas, under pressure to ensure the fragile ceasefire is honoured, vowed to do all he could to track down those responsible for the attack. Thousands of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails during an uprising that broke out in 2000 have often used hunger strikes to demand better conditions.

[  alertnet.org

24. MAI 2005

IRAN

seit dem 19. mai ist akbar ganji, ein journalist, in einem unbefristeten hungerstreik um eine entlassung auf bewährung, die ihm nach iranischem recht zustehen würde, zu erreichen. er benötigt dringend medizinische behandlung.

The Observatory has been informed by the Iranian League for the Defense of Human Rights (Ligue pour la défense des droits de l'Homme en Iran - LDDHI) that Mr. Akbar Ganji, a prominent journalist and human rights defender who has been imprisoned for more than five years in Tehran's Evin prison, begun an unlimited hunger strike at 7 pm on May 19, 2005 in order to protest against his imprisonment. As of the date of the release of this appeal, his hunger strike continues.

According to the information received, Mr. Akbar Ganji suffers from asthma and serious back problems for which he needs to be immediately hospitalised. However, in detention, Mr. Ganji does not have access to adequate treatment. His lawyers, including Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize and Secretary general of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre, have been asking for several months that he be hospitalised. Moreover, it is important to note that under the Iranian Criminal Procedure Code, after a prisoner has served two thirds of his or her sentence, he or she can be released on parole. Since one year, while Mr. Ganji completed the non parole period of his sentence, his lawyers have been requesting that he be released on parole, in vain.

Background information:
Mr. Akbar Ganji, of the daily newspaper Sobh-e-Emrooz, was arrested on April 22, 2000 for having written several articles suggesting the involvement of the Iranian regime, including former President Hashemi Rafsanjani and former Intelligence Minister Ali Fallahian, in the assassination of dissident opponents and intellectuals in late 1998. Mr. Ganji was also arrested because he took part in a conference in Berlin on the Iranian legislative elections and democratic reforms in April 1998. In July 2001, he was sentenced to six years of imprisonment on the charge of "threatening national security and propaganda against the institutions of the Islamic State" (See Observatory Annual Report 2004).

Mr. Akbar Ganji is currently being held in solitary confinement in spite of the specific recommandation made on June 27, 2003, by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to the Islamic Republic of Iran to put an end to this widespread practice which it considered as arbitrary in nature (See the UN document E/CN4/2004/3/Add.2, paragraphs 4 and 5).

[  omct.org

21. MAI 2005

CANADA

23 gefangene des chicoutimi knastes hatten sich für einige stunden in einem teil des knastes verbarrikadiert um gegen ihre haftbedingungen zu protestieren

PRISONERS barricade themselves inside Quebec jail

Saguenay, Que. - Twenty-three prisoners barricaded themselves inside a wing of Chicoutimi Prison Saturday morning to protest their jail conditions. Corrections agents and Quebec provincial police were called to the prison at about 10 a.m. and set up a security perimeter around the building. A small fire caused minor damages but no one was injured. The prisoners returned to their cells without incident around 11 a.m. at the request of Quebec provincial police. It was not immediately known if the prisoners would face any charges. Saguenay is about 250 kilometres north of Quebec City.

[  theglobeandmail.com

11. mai 2005

USA

auseinandersetzungen zwischen wärtern und gefangene im dane county knast /wisconcin .

Jail fight linked to crowding
Short staffing unlikely to ease

The Dane County Jail is unsafe for both the inmates and the sheriff's deputies guarding them, says the head of the deputy sheriff's association.And Detective Kathy Dorn, president of the Dane County Deputy Sheriffs Association, told The Capital Times that the situation will only get worse unless changes are made. Dorn said overcrowding in the medium-security section in the Public Safety Building was a contributing factor to a scuffle Saturday night when inmates in a 48-bed "pod" housing unit rushed four deputies and one sergeant trying to remove an inmate for unruly behavior.

The deputies were able to regain control of the pod but one deputy suffered a minor foot injury during the fracas. A smaller fight broke out Sunday morning over the Saturday incident, but no one was injured. Sheriff Gary Hamblin has been shipping medium-security inmates to other county jails around Wisconsin to reduce overcrowding, but available space is limited as other jails fill up and Dane County officials have to look at jails farther and farther away to find lockups that will take their inmates. While the news isn't good, it could get worse: summer is the toughest season, both for crowding and hot tempers. "My worst fear is somebody gets seriously hurt in jail, either a deputy or an inmate," Hamblin said. "I just hope we can manage."

The situation Saturday night involved five times the normal number of deputies assigned to a pod. The normal setup is one unarmed deputy standing guard over 48 inmates."This has always been a concern," Dorn said. "Having 48 inmates with one deputy is not a good plan."The Dane County Jail uses three buildings, each with its own level of confinement. The oldest jail, on the top floors of the City-County Building, is maximum security. The newest jail, in the Public Safety Building, is medium security, and the minimum-security lockup is the dormitory-style Ferris Center near the Alliant Energy Center complex, used for Huber Law inmates who can leave during the day for work and then have to come back at night.

The listed capacity for the Dane County Jail is 925 inmates. On Tuesday, 916 inmates were held in the three facilities while another 61 inmates under Dane County control were being housed in other county jails and 20 more were in non-jail facilities such as the Mendota Mental Health Institute or area hospitals. The state Department of Corrections recommends county jails only hold 80 percent of the listed capacity for safety and manageability.If Dane County were able to stick to the state-recommended percentage, 740 would be the optimum number of inmates held in the three facilities. In recent years, a 1,000 inmate daily count was common until Hamblin started shipping inmates to other jails.

The catch: Moving inmates is one way to handle overcrowding, but there's a catch to it. "The counties where we ship will only take those inmates without problems, so that limits the number of people we can ship," Hamblin said. "When we do ship inmates out, that leaves us with the inmates who have greater problems."Dane County has a contract this year with Sauk County to set aside up to 30 beds for Dane County use. Dane County is currently exceeding the number of beds under contract with Sauk County as 28 men and 10 women inmates are at the facility. Another 10 women inmates are currently incarcerated in the Juneau County jail, eight inmates (two men and six women) are housed in the Jefferson County Jail and five female inmates are at the Waupaca County Jail.

Winnebago County in Illinois is building a huge 1,200-bed county jail in Rockford so there might be ample space an hour south of Madison for Dane County inmates, but Hamblin says he needs an opinion from the county's lawyers about the legality of sending local prisoners across state lines.Sheriff's Office public information officer Elise Schaffer said there could be space in northern Wisconsin counties such as Vilas County but it wouldn't be fair to ship inmates so far away from their families, as well as having the county incur the extra cost and extra manpower necessary to take inmates so far.

More staff: Hiring more deputies costs more money and that isn't popular with politicians. County Board Supervisor Andy Olsen, chairman of the Board's Public Protection and Judiciary Committee, said the scuffle last weekend gave Hamblin and jail Captain Mike Plumer opportunity to reach out through the media to get more support for bigger budgets and more deputies."The Sheriff's Office is talking to the press more than they talk to the committee,"Olsen said. "I'm concerned with the rush to judgment if they dust off the budget and point to that as the cause of the problem."Even adding just one deputy to a pod isn't as easy as it sounds, Hamblin said."In order to assign one more deputy to a pod and guarantee it's staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, we need to hire six full-time deputies to fill the position," the sheriff said. "It takes two people to staff each position on each shift, so that's six people per position. We would want to increase the staff in at least four pods, so that's 24 new people."Dorn said the chances of filling that many spots are slim to none considering the tight budget restrictions placed on every department by County Executive Kathleen Falk. "We are really trying to work with the sheriff but unfortunately it goes back to staffing and the county executive won't authorize any more staff," Dorn said.

Hamblin agreed there's little chance for improving his budget next year to a point where he can hire two dozen new deputies for assignment to the Public Safety Building's jail. He also hopes inmates shipped to other jails stay on their best behavior so Dane County doesn't get the boot from jails across the state. "The weekend before the incident in our jail we shipped inmates to another county and the inmates started a fight," Hamblin said. "We will wear out our welcome at other jails if that keeps up."

[  madison.com

7. - 13.MAI 2005

AUSTRALIA / TASMANIA

einige artikel zum riot im risdon knast in tasmanien. die gefangenen hatten geiseln genommen und 24 forderungen gestellt. 7 der forderungen sollen erfüllt worden sein. der aufstand endete nach zwei tagen friedlich. 5 als angebl anführer bezeichnete männer wurden isoliert.

13.mai 2005

Risdon rioters in secure cells

FIVE inmates believed responsible for the siege at Tasmania's Risdon Prison this week have been transferred to the jail's most secure cell block. Prison authorities announced today the five were being held in "Division 7", and four of the remaining six "mainstream" cell blocks had returned to normal operations. The 41-hour siege, staged in the prison's reception area from Saturday to early Monday, resulted in what is known as a "lock-down" at the prison with all cells locked to prevent prisoner movement. Prison director Graeme Barber said the lock-down was partially relaxed this afternoon. "Visits started at 1pm (AEST) ... and it is expected the same divisions will be unlocked again tomorrow," Mr Barber said.

"To ensure the safety and security of the prison staff and prison, five inmates allegedly at the centre of the weekend incident have been transferred to Division 7." The five are understood to have been interviewed by police and they could be formally charged as early as tomorrow. The siege occurred when inmates seized control of the prisoner's reception area and took a number of inmates and a guard hostage. They also had access to justice department computers and files and there are fears inmates accessed prison guards' personal records. "A protocol has ... been established with Tasmania police for prison service staff to report any incident that feel may have been connected to the potential release of their personal details," Mr Barber said.

[  dailytelegraph.news.com.au

Charges expected over jail uprising

Police expect to charge up to five inmates today over the dramatic two-day siege last weekend that ended with the delivery of 15 pizzas. All but two divisions at the prison were operating as normal yesterday and the first visitors were allowed through the gates at 1pm. Divisions 4 and 5, which house the inmates involved in the uprising, were still in lock-down as police completed the final stages of their investigation. The five alleged ringleaders had been transferred to division 7, director of prisons Graeme Barber said. Division 7 is the prison's highest security wing, bar one, where inmates spend most of their time in isolation. Police are also investigating two leaked e-mails that showed prison management had been warned of a planned uprising.

The e-mails described the mood of the prison as "angry" and reported that an officer had been told that inmates would take hostages to force changes at the prison. One officer and up to 15 inmates were taken hostage at the weekend and a list of 24 demands relating to the daily running of the prison was presented to Mr Barber. Seven of the demands were met before the siege ended peacefully. Opposition justice spokesman Michael Hodgman demanded that intelligence gathering at the prison be reviewed. He said it had been the second intelligence breakdown this year and followed a prison officer overhearing two Hayes Jail Farm inmates plotting to escape, which they later did. Inmates unsuccessfully demanded better food at the prison during the siege, and yesterday prison reform advocate Vickie Douglas released letters of complaints from inmates. One said that meals were often served three days after they had been cooked and were not properly defrosted of reheated.

Another told of an inmate with no teeth being served steak. When he complained, an officer blended the meal - steak and vegetables - and served it again. The inmate threw it away and said he consequently lost power to his cell for 48 hours. Another told of grey sausages, cold porridge, dried-out meat, mouldy bread and pieces of foil in food. Attorney-General Judy Jackson said that the menu had been approved by a dietician and independent observers.

[  examiner.com.au

11.mai 2005

Risdon prisoners face siege charges

Police expect to lay charges later this week against prisoners involved in a 41-hour siege at Hobart's Risdon Prison, in which a warder was taken hostage and a part of the jail was trashed. The prison remained in lockdown as authorities continued to count the cost of the incident, with damage in the reception area alone estimated at $65,000. But Corrective Services director Peter Hoult said the full cost of what he described as random destruction could reach $200,000, including $20,000 worth of computer equipment that was destroyed. A police spokesman said of the 20 prisoners involved in the siege, 19 were thought to have organised the incident and charges were expected later this week.

Prison officer Ken Hannah, who was taken hostage, was released on Sunday night following the delivery of 15 pizzas. He was still resting and would return to work when he felt ready, Mr Hoult said. The incident at the maximum-security jail, in which Australia's most notorious mass murderer Martin Bryant is serving 35 life sentences, began at 2.45pm (AEST) Saturday when inmates took over the reception area, seizing a warder and an unknown number of prisoners hostage. Among their demands were the resignations of state attorney-general Judy Jackson and director of prisons Graeme Barber, and better conditions for prisoners. During negotiations to end the siege, the prisoners negotiated a list of 24 points, including concerns about conditions and treatment of inmates.

Mr Hoult dismissed reports that inmates may have accessed personal details of prison staff during the siege. "To date we have no confirmed instances of staff receiving threatening calls or any other action," he said."Certainly our best advice is that there doesn't appear to have been any large-scale transmission of any written information during the incident." Mr Hoult said prison staff were now taking steps to ensure there was no recurrence. "Obviously we are taking every opportunity to learn what happened here and to make sure that this particular incident or style of incident can't be repeated," he added. "..we'll learn what we can from this one." Caroline Dean, from lobby group Prison Action and Reform, said the prisoners' demands highlighted the need for an independent investigation into the prison's management practices. "The corrections department and the attorney-general have known of these problems for a substantial number of years yet have refused to act," she said. "This has compounded and cemented a feeling of anger, frustration and desperation among the prisoners resulting in a volatile atmosphere which finally ended in the devastating events of last weekend. "It is a real tragedy that this extreme action was felt to be the only way to have their voices heard."

[  smh.com.au

09.mai 2005

50 in rally for jail reform

ABOUT 50 protesters are rallying outside Hobart's Risdon Prison in support of inmates involved in a 41-hour stand-off with police, which ended earlier today. Friends and relatives of inmates at Tasmania's maximum-security prison said they supported the objectives of those involved in the siege, who had demanded improved conditions. Lobby group Prison Action and Reform (PAR) president Caroline Dean said the stand-off - resolved peacefully about 8am (AEST) - had aired the prisoners' complaints nationally. "This has highlighted that it is a sub-standard prison and there are very serious problems within its culture," Ms Dean said.

She described Risdon as Australia's worst jail and said her group would seek to keep pressure on the Tasmanian Government to implement 24 points raised by inmates during the stand-off. They have not been released publicly, but are thought to deal with issues such as time spent outdoors in the yards, food, employment in jail and access to education and rehabilitation programs. "In previous times there has been lip-service paid and no change," Ms Dean said. "This time we're going to make damn sure it happens." The group of about 50 protesters marched up the long entry route to the jail at 10.40am (AEST). A number of prisoners and one prison warder were held captive during the siege, but were all been released unharmed. Tasmanian Prisons Director Graeme Barber said the stand-off ended about 8am (AEST) when the last prisoner walked out of the reception area that had been occupied since Saturday afternoon. The area has since been secured and handed over to Tasmania Police as a crime scene. A full forensic examination of the area is under way.

[  news.com.au

Pizza delivers prison siege deal

A two-day prison siege in Australia has ended after inmates agreed to exchange their hostage for a delivery of pizzas. A group of 20 inmates at Risdon maximum security prison, in the Tasmanian capital Hobart, seized a guard and a number of other prisoners on Saturday. "Our staff member was negotiated out with the delivery of 15 pizzas," prisons director Graeme Barber said. Once the inmates, who were demanding better treatment, had eaten their fill, they let the other hostages go. The siege-takers had been holed up in the reception centre at Risdon prison for 40 hours. During that time, they laid waste to the area, destroying computers and files. Initially, the prisoners had drawn up a list of 24 demands, which reportedly included offering more job opportunities to inmates and increased pay for that work.

[  bbc.co.uk

Inmates have made demands mostly related to conditions at the jail.

Tas prison siege ends peacefully

The siege at Hobart's Risdon Prison, which started when a group of inmates took over the prison's reception area on Saturday afternoon, is over. Director of Prisons Graeme Barber provided the inmates with a signed document dealing with 24 of their demands. The issues in dispute included the provision of three cooked meals a day, items available in the prison's canteen, employment and prisoner wages. Mr Barber says one demand that will not be met is for prisoners to eat meals together. He says the reception area has been secured and forensic investigators are examining the scene. He says it has been a traumatic time for all prison staff and a huge relief when the officer being held hostage was released overnight. The prison guard was released nine hours ago unharmed. He immediately rang his family, then spent the rest of the night talking to prison officials about the situation. Prison officials are interviewing inmates in a bid to find out who were hostages and who were the hostage-takers. Prison authorities have been told the reception area has been badly damaged, with windows smashed, furniture broken and jail records destroyed.No visitors are being allowed into the jail today.

[  abc.net.au

08. MAI 2005

Inmates say conditions at the prison are inhumane.

Prison guard not threatened in siege

The prison officer being held hostage inside Risdon Prison on Hobart's outskirts is reportedly safe and well. A Prison Service spokesman says negotiators have spoken to the prison officer several times this morning and he has not been harmed.The spokesman says the prisoners have made no threat about hurting the man. The Prison Service says there are now 20 prisoners inside the jail's reception area. Last night they thought there were 19 prisoners.Director of Prisons Graeme Barber has called in a number of special operations groups to provide support."While no immediate threat exists to the public, as a precautionary measure, police are providing external police presence of uniformed police officers around the complex," he said. A Prison Service spokesman would not give details about the negotiations.

The inmates say conditions are at the prison are inhumane and say a prisoner in solitary confinement has been tormented since allegedly attacking a guard on Thursday during a strip search. The Prison Action Reform Group says inmates are demanding the resignation of both the state's Attorney-General Judy Jackson and the Director of Prisons Graeme Barber.Mr Barber has dismissed the calls for his resignation. He says the prisoners were fed this morning and negotiations are continuing. Families concernedA group representing the families of prison inmates says it has received 60 calls from people concerned about the safety of their loved ones.Leanne De Cleva, the family liaison officer with the Prison Action Reform Group, says no information is being given to families."The information is probably not available to give to them but nevertheless they're in a state of shock and very concerned for their loved ones," she said. "They don't know whether their loved ones are being held hostage. "That information isn't available but it's very important that they are able to be supported through this process."Families are now being informed all Mother's Day visits have been cancelled. The rest of the jail has been locked down.

[  abc.net.au

[  Inmates at the Risdon Prison in Hobart have taken a guard hostage

07.mai 2005

Inmate claims seizing Tas prison with 10 hostages

In Tasmania, prisoners at Hobart's Risdon prison are claiming they have taken over the prison. A prisoner, who says he is Conway Richardson, has called the ABC claiming he is in the reception area with other prisoners after taking over the area this afternoon. The prisoners claims most inmates are in the main yard. He says prisoners have taken about 10 officers hostage. He says they want Tasmanian Attorney-General Judy Jackson sacked and Opposition Justice spokesman Michael Hodgman to attend the prison.

He says the prison officers are not in danger. "We want to get the point across - if they want to come in and gas us and all that, they're stupid to their own hostages - they've got their own kind in here," he said. "Prison officers are in danger if they approach the building from outside - once the enemy crosses the line they're [in danger] ... we've got to go, we're on a mission." When asked if the prisoners were armed, Richardson said, "I don't have to tell you if I'm armed or not". Tasmanian Police and the State Government are yet to confirm there is an incident at the prison. Prison Action Reform Group spokeswoman has also heard reports of a major incident at the jail. "We received a phone call from a mother who was actually on the phone talking to her son and she heard the alarms going off and her son told her that prisoners from division 5 were running everywhere and apparently someone had taken over an office," she said.

Tensions have been building at the prison over the past week, with a maximum security inmate allegedly attacking a prison guard on Thursday using weapons fashioned out of pieces of furniture. A week before that another maximum security prisoner held two fellow prisoners hostage for more than seven hours using similar implements. Media representatives have been moved away from the main gates of the prison.

[  abc.net.au

[  Inmates seize part of prison

03. mai 2005

USA

riot im guadalupe county knast / new mexico.

Silver man starts prison uprising

A 20-year-old Silver City man who escaped twice from the Grant County Detention Center used a padlock inside a sock to attack guards at the Guadalupe County Correctional Facility near Santa Rosa Sunday night. Mario Rodriguez will be transferred from the Level 3 medium security facility to the Level 6 maximum security prison near Santa Fe, said Tia Bland, a spokeswoman for the New Mexico Corrections Department. "He is from Silver City and his convictions are from Grant County," she said Monday afternoon. "I don't have his disciplinary file in front of me, but he couldn't have been much trouble here before if he was a Level 3. But now he's on his way to being a Level 6." Four guards were injured and one was hospitalized Monday at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque in stable condition, she added. The guard's injuries are not life-threatening, she said. He suffered a damaged rib and possibly other injuries. The incident began at about 5 p.m. Sunday when Rodriguez refused to return to his cell during a head count, Bland said.

He started hitting the officers with the lock inside the sock when guards tried to force him into his cell. The scuffle stirred up about 120 other inmates in two separate cell blocks, and officers had to use tear gas to control them, she added. "Only one inmate was involved in the actual attack," she said. "The others decided to get rowdy and riled up, and didn't want to return to their cells. Inmates tend to feed off of each other, and the rest in that part of the living area got excited and decided they didn't want to return to their cells either." Rodriguez has a storied past in Grant County.

In 1998, he was charged with burglary, larceny, criminal damage to property, aggravated battery against a household member, crimes against a household member, abuse of glue and aerosol and resisting an officer. A juvenile at the time, Rogriguez admitted to the allegations and was placed on two years? probation and sent to a group home in Carlsbad. In 2000, his probation was revoked after he admitted to a graffiti incident and he was sent to a state juvenile facility in Albuquerque for a year.

In November 2001, he was charged with burglary, larceny, escape from jail and criminal damage to property. He eventually pleaded guilty to burglary and the other charges were dismissed. In March 2003, Rodriguez was ordered to the State Boys School at Springer for a year; however, his sentence was held up by his lawyer, who had sought a forensic evaluation of his client. In August 2003, while awaiting trial on a charge of aggravated battery, Rodriguez fled from a community service work detail at Fort Bayard?s Bataan Park, but was captured in about 30 minutes. One month later, Rodriguez escaped from a detention officer while receiving medical treatment at Gila Regional Medical Center after he swallowed a razor blade. He ran out of the facility barefooted and wearing only a pair of boxer shorts. He was later found on the roof of a nearby building.

Jail administrators at the time said Rodriguez had hidden the blade in his mouth during a routine shakedown at the jail and accidentally swallowed the razor during the officers' search of his cell. After being returned to his maximum security cell at the jail, Rodriguez refused all medical attention. Rodriguez was arrested again after that incident and was hit with additional charges for the escape, which is a fourth-degree felony. In December 2003, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for battery on a peace officer. In May 2004, he was found guilty of kidnapping in the second degree, and two counts of criminal sexual penetration and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Grant County Detention Center Administrator Steve Reese said Rodriguez was turned over to the state Corrections Department last June.

The Guadalupe County prison remained locked down Monday while state police completed their investigation. The two pods where the inmates became unruly will remain locked down, Bland said. Prison officials said they don't know what prompted Rodriguez to refuse to return to his cell. The uprising occurred at the same prison where guard Ralph Garcia was killed during a 1999 uprising. The three inmates charged in Garcia's death are no longer held at the Guadalupe County jail. The prison, which has about 600 inmates, is operated by Florida-based Wackenhut Corrections Corp., but the state has a lease to keep inmates in the facility.

[  scsun-news.com

02. mai 2005

TURKEY

riot im knast umraniye , gefangene sollen feuer gelegt haben , keine weiteren angaben.

Rioting inmates set fire to Turkish prison

ISTANBUL, May 2 (Reuters) - Rioting inmates started a fire at a maximum-security prison in Turkey's largest city on Monday and were occupying some of the jail's corridors, the state-run Anatolian news agency said. A police official confirmed there had been a fire, but said fire fighters had extinguished the blaze. "No one has been hurt, and there was no serious damage. Fire teams quickly put out the fire," he said. Inmates set their beds and blankets alight in two dormitory-style wards in Istanbul's Umraniye prison in protest against wardens who had not met their demands, Anatolian said. It did not specify what those demands were. Fire-fighting teams remained at Umraniye in case the inmates attempted to set further blazes, the agency said. Organised criminals, leftist radicals and Kurdish groups have all staged riots at Turkish prisons in the past, many of which are overcrowded and in poor condition. In December 2000, at least 30 inmates died when paramilitary forces stormed jails across the country to end a mass hunger strike organised by far-leftists opposed to prison reforms. At least 55 people died in the long-running hunger strike.

[  alertnet.org

MAI 2005

BRD

There is a hungerstrike in the deportation prison in berlin/germany since the 18. april 2005. 16 people are protesting against inhuman treatment, against too much indemnity periods and assaults from the police. on 7.May 05 there was a demonstration in front of the prison to show solidarity to the people. during the demonstration there were riots in prison. the people tried to get in the rooms where they could see and hear something. since the guards did'nt let them in it clashed.

PRESSEMITTEILUNG

Hungerstreik im Abschiebegefängnis Berlin / Köpenick

Proteste richten sich vor allem gegen die langen Haftzeiten und Misshandlungen

Aktuell 16 Männer verweigern seit dem 18. April in der Abschiebehaft in der Grünauer Straße jegliche Nahrungsaufnahme, um sich gegen die "unmenschliche Behandlung" in dem Gefängnis zu wehren. Sie protestieren damit gegen die langen Haftzeiten ohne Entscheidung und gegen schlechte Behandlung und Übergriffe durch Polizeibeamte.

Ein Anlass für den Beginn des Hungerstreiks war der Übergriff auf einen Häftling am 16. April 2005. An diesem Samstag sollte eine ganze Etage von der 6. in die 5. verlegt werden. Um 8:30 Uhr stürmten die Beamten in die Zellen, in denen die Leute noch schliefen. Ein Palästinenser aus dem Libanon sagte zu einem Beamten, dass er bereit sei zu gehen, sich aber vorher das Gesicht waschen wollte. Als er in die Richtung des gegenüberliegenden Badezimmers gehen wollte, griff der Beamte seinen linken Arm, drehte ihn am Handgelenk auf den Rücken und stieß ihn mehrmals mit dem Kopf gegen die Wand. Der Gefangene wurde ärztlich untersucht. Dabei wurde ein angebrochener Finger, eine Verstauchung des Handgelenkes, eine Platzwunde an der Stirn und diverse Schwellungen und Prellungen festgestellt. Der Verletzte hat Anzeige erstattet.

Ein weiterer Grund für den Hungerstreik sind die langen und unabsehbaren Haftzeiten. Eine Haft wird normalerweise für drei Monate seitens der Ausländerbehörde beantragt, kann dann aber immer wieder (bis zu 18 Monaten) verlängert werden. Für die Häftlinge ist dadurch völlig unklar, wie lange sie inhaftiert werden, zumal sie keine Infos über den Stand ihrer Verfahren bekommen.

Im Verlauf des Hungerstreiks kam es auch zu mehreren Selbstverletzungen. Seitens der Polizei wurde versucht, durch Verlegungen einiger Hungerstreikender den Streik zu brechen. Einzelne Beteiligte wurden in Isolationshaft genommen.Am Dienstag, den 26.4. fand von 20:00 bis 22:30 zusätzlich eine Razzia auf der Etage III/1 statt. Dabei mussten sich die Hungerstreikenden sowie alle Männer arabischer Herkunft nackt ausziehen und wurden ohne Rücksicht auf die Intimsphäre penibel untersucht, während ihre Zellen völlig verwüstet wurden. Die Gefangenen haben dies als besonders demütigend erfahren ("KeineEhrfurcht vor Niemandem"; "Was ist das für ein Land").

Die Perspektivlosigkeit der Situation, die Ungewissheit über die Dauer der Inhaftierung, die menschenunwürdige Behandlung und die Angst vor der Rückkehr in das Herkunftsland schaffen ein Klima der Hilflosigkeit, Frustration und Verzweiflung. Hungerstreiks, Selbstverletzungen und Suizidversuche sind in der Berliner Abschiebehaft an der Tagesordnung. Wir als Antirassistische Initiative und die Initiative gegen Abschiebehaft unterstützen die Forderung der Inhaftierten. Wir fordern ein Ende des Abschiebehaftsystems.

Presseerklärung von ARI und Initiative gegen Abschiebehaft

[  indymedia.org

more:

[  Hungern bis zur Revolte / taz / 12.05.2005

[  Erfahrungen im Abschiebeknast Köpenick

30.April 2005

USA

riot im hochsicherheitstrakt des sullivan county knasts.

Disturbance quelled at Sullivan prison

UNITY - All is quiet after authorities quelled a disturbance at the Sullivan County House of Corrections that started on Thursday night.

According to a statement yesterday from the Sullivan County Sheriff's office, some inmates in the maximum security wing set bedding and other materials on fire, threw things at corrections officers and damaged toilets, sinks, bedding and clothing at about 9:30 p.m. "We can't tell you what set it off,"said Sheriff Michael Prozzo. "We're still investigating it. Some damage was done, and the reports are being forwarded to the county attorney." Superintendent Scott Hagar called in off-duty personnel and officers from Southwestern New Hampshire Operations Unit - officers from the sheriff's department and police from Claremont, Newport, Sunapee and Washington. State Police and fire departments from Unity and Claremont and the Golden Cross Ambulance Service were also called. According the Southwestern Mutual Aid fire log, the Unity Fire Department was called in at 9:41 p.m. to clear away smoke.

What the sheriff referred to as an "extraction team," made up of police and corrections officers, went into the maximum security unit to remove inmates. Most cooperated and were removed without incident; some resisted and assaulted officers. It took a few more hours to calm the situation. All inmates from the maximum security unit were removed by 1:10 yesterday morning as smoke and fumes were blown from the building. "We left by 3 a.m.," said Prozzo. "Most of the inmates are still at the facility, but some had to be removed to another house of correction." At no time during the incident did anyone escape, nor did the disturbance expand beyond the maximum security unit. Inmates in other sections remained peaceful and cooperative, according to the sheriff. Several of the corrections and law enforcement officers suffered minor injuries, and the inmates were screened for smoke inhalation, but no serious injuries were reported.

Sullivan County Attorney Marc Hathaway is conducting an investigation into the incident. He said the unit typically houses 14 inmates, but not all were involved. "Anytime you have a disturbance such as this with shrapnel flying around and smoke and fire, it's a credit to those responding that it was able to be resolved without serious injury," he said. "It was handled very professionally," Prozzo said. "Everyone did a great job of working together to do what had to be done." It is not known if charges will be filed. Attempts to obtain further comment from Hagar and Hathaway were unsuccessful yesterday.

[  theunionleader.com

27. April 2005

USA

riot von 17 gefangenen im jefferson county knast ( indiana).

Madison jail inmates go on rampage

MADISON, Ind. - Inmates set a small fire, flooded toilets and smashed a television in a violent protest to searches at the Jefferson County Jail, authorities said. No one was injured in the disturbance that began late Tuesday at the jail, Sheriff Bill Andrews said. He has revoked inmates" television, telephone, commissary and visitor privileges for an indefinite period. "Once in a while you've got to remind these people who's in charge here," Andrews said today. Two men believed to be the ringleaders of the 17 inmates housed in the 20-man cellblock were separated from the other prisoners and might face criminal charges, he said. There were 63 inmates in the jail at the time of the disturbance, 13 over its normal capacity.

Guards were searching the cell blocks in the city about 40 miles northeast of Louisville, Ky., to find hoarded jail supplies and contraband. The disturbance began when guards confiscated some pills from an inmate, Andrews said. Inmates attempted to flood the jail by repeatedly flushing toilets. They also set a paperback book on fire, smashed a television and broke light bulbs, he said. "They damaged their TV back around Christmas, and I didn't let them have it back until about Super Bowl weekend," Andrews said. "Now, I don't know how they're going to watch TV."

[  indystar.com

26.April 2005

USA

eine geiselnahme im detention center three (louisiana) endete nach zwei stunden.

Rapides Sheriff to review inmate search policies following hostage situation

ALEXANDRIA, La. The Rapides Parish sheriff's office is reviewing its inmate search policies after a prisoner held his wife at knife point inside the detention center for two hours before giving up. Jason Whitstine of Colfax wanted deputies to give him a car Friday and allow him to take his wife to Grant Parish. He told Sheriff William Earl Hilton that he simply wanted to talk with her outside of the prison. A relative, who is in law enforcement, was able to convince Whitstine to give up the home-made knife and release his wife. No one was injured.

Whitstine was booked yesterday on charges of attempted aggravated escape and second-degree kidnapping. Prior to the incident, he served as an in-house trusty at Detention Center Three. As such, he was entitled to contact visits rather than visits where a glass stands between the inmate and his family. Warden Jimmy Chevalier says when an inmate goes for a contact visit, he is patted down before the visit starts and strip searched afterward. Chevalier says the Sheriff's Office is reviewing the policy and could require strip searches before and after the visit.

There's no word on when a decision would be made on changes to the policy. Deputies patted down Whitstine before his visit Friday but he managed to slip a toothbrush mounted with a metal point past the guard. Investigators believe a domestic problem sparked the incident, which escalated into an escape attempt. Whitstine was serving time for a probation violation on forgery and burglary charges.

[  katc.com

19. April 2005

BRD

Pressedienst

Abschiebungshäftlinge verweigern Nahrungsannahme

Berlin,Treptow-Köpenick

Seit heute Mittag, den 19.04.2005, verweigern 17 Insassen des Abschiebungsgewahrsam Grünau die Annahme der dienstlich gelieferten Nahrung. Mit dieser Aktion wollen sie auf die aus ihrer Sicht untragbare Situation aufmerksam machen. Insbesondere monieren sie die zu langen Bearbeitungsfristen ihrer Anträge.

Erklärung der Plattform für MigrantInnen und Flüchtlinge zum Hungerstreik im Februar 2005

Polizeigewahrsamstelle in Berlin Köpenick / Grünau, in der MigrantInnen die Abschiebung erwarten. Der Besuch wurde abgehalten, nachdem die Insassen des 6. Stocks in der Anstalt einen Hungerstreik in Protest gegen die deutsche Abschiebpolitik, den Unterbringungsbedingungen und für ihre Freilassung starteten.

Der Hungerstreik begann offiziell am 01.02.2005 und bereits jetzt beteiligen sich mehr als 40 Inhaftierte. Es ist geplant diesen unbegrenzt fortzusetzen, bis die Öffentlichkeit reagiert und auf die Forderungen eingegangen wird.Die Mehrheit der Inhaftierten wurde auf offener Strasse oder Zuhause verhaftet und direkt in die Gewahrsamsstelle verbracht, ohne je über ihre Rechte aufgeklärt zu werden oder die Möglichkeit einen Anwalt zu kontaktieren. Viele Verhaftungen verliefen völlig willkürlich und führten zu Langzeitinhaftierung ohne klares Zeitlimit oder legalen Grund für die Abschiebung.

Die Bedingungen in der Anstalt sind unmenschlich. Die Beamten der Einrichtung bestrafen und kriminalisieren Menschen, deren einzigesmVerbrechen es ist, in Deutschland leben zu wollen. Desweiteren ist die Köpenicker Anstalt eine polizeiliche Gewahrsamsstelle und keine Justizvollzugsanstalt, damit hat der Leiter der Einrichtung völlige Handlungsfreiheit und unterliegt nicht mal den regulären Haftanstaltsrichtlinien. Während unseres Besuchs sahen wir mehrere Grundrechte verletzt:

- Mehrere Misshandlungen durch die Beamten der Einrichtung wurden berichtet. Der jüngste Fall war gestern, die Verletzung der Hand von Sores Welat Dermir, der Initiator des Hungerstreiks und kurdischer Aktivist, durch Personal der Anstalt. Die Beamten reagierten zuvor auf seine politischen Aktivitäten, indem sie ihn für 5 ½ Wochen in Isolationshaft im Keller der Anstalt schlossen. Ihm wurde zudem das Besuchsrecht verweigert, so auch gestern bei unserem Besuch. Nun ist er wieder in Isolationshaft. All diese Maßnahmen verletzen internationale Standards für Haftanstalten.

- Die Ärzte der Einrichtung untersuchen die Inhaftierten nicht adäquat. Alle Beschwerden oder Symptome werden entweder mit Schmerzmitteln oder Tranquilanzien (Valium) „behandelt“. Nach dem Bericht von Inhaftierten, haben innerhalb der letzten drei Monate zwei Schwangere, die in der Einrichtung festgehalten wurden, ihre Babies während der Geburt verloren. Es ist nicht klar wer für die „Ärzte“ überhaupt verantwortlich ist.

- Obwohl viele der Inhaftierten Moslems sind, gibt es kein rituell geschlachtetes (helal) Fleisch. Meistens wird sogar nur Schweinefleisch ausgegeben, dessen Verzehr für Moslems aus religiösen Gründen verboten ist.

- Zu alle dem kommen noch unzureichende Sanitäreinrichtungen und Beschränkungen des täglichen Lebens hinzu. Für diese "Serviceleistungen" muß jeder Insasse pro Tag 63 Euro bezahlen.

Die Plattform für MigrantInnen und Flüchtlinge warnt davor, dass die Einführung des neuen Zuwanderungsgesetzes von 2005, eine noch umfangreichere Beschränkung und Willkür für MigrantInnen und Flüchtlinge in Deutschland bedeutet. Wir protestieren gegen die Regierungspolitik der rassistischen Ausgrenzung, wie sie durch das neue Zuwanderungsgesetz und die willkürlichen Beschränkungen von MigrantInnen und Flüchtlingen in den unterschiedlichen Haft- und Abschiebeanstalten in Deutschland deutlich werden.

Wir unterstützen den Hungerstreik der Inhaftierten im Köpenicker Abschiebeknast und fordern ein Ende ihrer illegalen Inhaftierung und Abschiebung.

Presseerklärung der Plattform für MigrantInnen und Flüchtlinge (Berlin)/Februar 2005

UK

18. april 2005

gefangene, die sagen sie seien durch die lincoln knast riots traumatisiert, verklagen das innenministerium auf schadensersatz

Inmates claim riot compensation

Inmates who say they were traumatised by the Lincoln Prison riots are claiming damages from the Home Office. The disturbance in the jail in October 2002 cost nearly £3m to repair and left one inmate dead. The Home office has confirmed 45 prisoners have put in personal injury claims following the riot. The cases are thought to relate to post-traumatic stress and physical injury. It is thought some prison officers could also lodge claims.

Prisoner rampage

The Prison Officers' Association has said some members are looking to claim compensation but the Home office has not been able to confirm that. The disturbance at Lincoln was said to be the worst since the Manchester Strangeways riot in 1990. In that case , seven prisoners reached out of court settlements with the Home office. The trouble at Lincoln began when a group of prisoners assaulted an officer and took his keys. It took more than eight hours to regain control of the jail after a number of inmates went on the rampage.

INDIA

16. april 2005

3.400 gefangene im jharkhard knast sind im hungerstreik. sie haben sich dem hungerstreik von 38 männern angeschlossen, die zu "lebenslang" verurteilt wurden und entlassen werden sollten, deren entlassung aber um ein jahr verschoben wurde.

Jharkhand jail prisoners go on huger strike

Prisoners in a Jharkhand jail are on hunger strike, demanding the release of inmates, who have completed their sentences.More than 3,400 prisoners of the Jayaprakash Narayan Central Jail in Hazaribagh began their protest on Friday after 38 inmates, who had completed their life sentences - but were not released - went on strike. The release of the 38 prisoners has been delayed for the last one year as officials say they are awaiting new guidelines on the issue."We are waiting for new guidelines under which the prisoners sentenced to life terms are to be released," said Nagendra Kumar, superintendent of the Hazaribagh Central Jail.Earlier, jail superintendents were authorised to release prisoners who had completed life terms. These terms normally run for 20 years but many are released after 14 years, earning remissions for good behaviour.Of the 3,400 prisoners on strike, 1,600 are facing trial and the rest have been convicted. The jail, with a capacity of 1,100 prisoners, has more than 100 prisoners sentenced to life terms.

5. april 2005

IRAK

eine delegation des internationale rote kreuz war am 1. april bei "einer seiner regelmäßigen besuche von gefangenen" camp bucca zeugen des von der us - armee bestrittenen riots im camp bucca (16 verletzte).

Prisoners riot at Iraqi detention camp

Apr 5, 2005 - Prisoners at a US-run detention camp in southern Iraq rioted on April 1, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed following a denial of the incident by the US military. "There was a riot at Camp Bucca on April 1. An ICRC delegation was there that day on one of its regular prisoner visits and it is now following up the situation, " said Christophe Beney, the head of the ICRC's Baghdad delegation. Earlier, a representative of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr's movement had revealed that some detainees rioted at Camp Bucca on Friday after one of them had been denied medical treatment. The Sadr representative accused US soldiers of putting down the disturbance with rubber bullets, wounding an undetermined number of detainees. Asked about the Sadr movement's account, Lieutenant Colonel Guy Rudisill, spokesman for the US-run detention centres in Iraq, said he was not aware of any such event or riot. "There have been no reports of mistreatment of detainees," Rudisill told AFP. "Nothing like that happened down there. Nobody is denied medical attention down there."

30. märz 2005

BARBADOS

nach einem feuer im glendary knast mußten die gefangenen im knasthof schlafen. weil die zugesagten zelte nicht ausgeliefert wurden und ihnen auch kein trinkwasser gegeben wurde,ist es im knast zu kämpfen gekommen bei denen auch das miltär eingesetzt war. 1 gefangener wurde getötet ( angebl. von einem anderen gefangenen getötet weil er einen wärter angegriffen haben soll ).angeblich sei auch ein fluchtversuch geplant gewesen. die 350 gefangenen wurden in andere knäste verlegt, da der knast jetzt nur noch eine ruine ist.

Thirteen hospitalized after Barbados jail fire

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Thirteen individuals including six prison officers were rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital after a fire broke out Tuesday at the 150 years old Glendairy Prisons in Barbados.The fire also forced an evacuation of about 51 female inmates to an undisclosed location. One inmate who tried to escape during the chaos was shot in the shoulder, while two other sustained trauma and lacerations to the head. The others were hospitalized for smoke inhalation. Two main buildings on the prison grounds were destroyed by the blaze which started around eleven o’clock local time.

According to Attorney General and Home Affairs minister Mia Mottley the security at the jail has not been compromised and “the situation is under control”. The minister assured the nation last night in a press meeting broadcast live that there were no escapes of prisoners. “All inmates are accounted for”, said Ms Mottley.Internal perimeter fences that had been put in place several months ago had helped authorities to maintain security at the jail, she added. The minister praised the way the security system in Barbados held its ground during the crisis. “I think that we have been able to utilize the government services at the best of our abilities ensuring that what was a potentially explosive situation has been contained with minimal damage and certainly no lost of life and no escape of prisoners”, said Mottley.

While waiting for formal reports the minister indicated that the fire probably started as a riot among the inmates. “It was brought to my attention, that there was an incident between inmates yesterday (Monday). They felt that the incident in which one inmate tried to sexually assault another inmate, that they reported that to an officer and in so reporting that they felt that no sufficient action or no action was taken to deal with their grievance, this morning trying to take matters into their own hands. So it would be true to say that there was a fight between 10 or 12 prisoners this morning and that things flowed from there”, said the Attorney General who expects a full report.

Initial reports indicates that the inmates used mattresses to start multiple fires and the situation spiraled out of hand.Ms Mottley further stressed that a thorough investigation will take place to ensure that appropriate measures are taken against individuals responsible for the situation “whether it is in the form of crimes being committed, or whether it is in the form of breaches of prison rules or whether it is in the form of breaches of behavior and elements of duty by officers”.

Until the administration moves to a stage of normalcy in the prison all visits and regular activities are suspended. Also the extended security alert, as well as the extended range of security officers in and around the jail and other places were inmates were transferred to will be maintained for the time being.

Though investigations and assessment of the situation are still ongoing, minister Mottley who visited the jail, told reporters that there is extensive roof damage and that two buildings including the kitchen, bakery and library may be lost. Until the government receives the all-clear signal of the chief fire officer as well as from the structural engineers of the Ministry of Public Works, the remaining prisoners will be contained in the three fenced areas in the perimeter. Meanwhile blankets, tents and chemical toilets were rushed in to facilitate the remaining prisoners and additional lighting is installed.

Efforts to reach Prime Minister Owen Arthur by phone were unsuccessful as Caribbean Net News was told that Arthur was in a meeting attending to matters relating to "national security."Glendairy Prisons has been a political hot potato for successive Ministers of Home Affairs, who've had to find a balance between punishment and humane treatment of inmates.

Last year Prison Superintendent Lieutenant-Colonel John Nurse informed that while the facility was built to accommodate 350 prisoners, over 1,000 inmates were detained.Shortly after assuming office as Minister of Home Affairs, Attorney General Mia Mottley announced the proposed construction of a new maximum security facility to house around 500. At that time, she stressed that a prison built in 1855 simply could not serve Barbados in the 21st century.There’s no word yet when the construction of the new prison will take place.

17. märz 2005

BRASIL

riot im pinheiros knast in sao paulo. mehr als 200 gefangene hatten 7 wärter als geiseln genommen, einer wurde getötet, mehrere verwundet.

15. märz 2005

AUSTRALIA

nach auseinandersetzungen zwischen gefangenen ist der hochsicherheitsknast port philip in melbourne unter "lockdown". es soll seit monaten zu auseinandersetzungen zwischen aborigines und pacific islanders gegeben haben mit schwerverletzten.

JAIL race war explodes Aboriginal v Pacific Islanderprisoners

RACIAL warfare between Aboriginal and Pacific Island prisoners has forced the lockdown of Victoria’s biggest maximum security jail.Months of simmering tensions exploded in a brawl by up to 20 prisoners at Port Phillip Prison on Sunday.All inmates have been confined to their cells since then.

The Herald Sun believes the melee was sparked by a fight early in the afternoon between an Aboriginal inmate and a Pacific Islander.The Aborigine, an alleged ringleader of the 1998 Melbourne Custody Centre riot, was badly injured in the fracas.Prisoners from other units are believed to have tried to scale walls to join the brawl.

The fight follows several other incidents at the prison in recent months.In one of these a Pacific Islander was badly injured.He was bashed, knifed and burned with boiling water after a gang of prisoners set upon him.Staff have complained there were just seven guards on duty supervising 700 prisoners at Port Phillip on Sunday.They have served a provisional improvement notice on management demanding changes.

Correctional Services Commissioner Kelvin Anderson said he knew GSL Custodial Services, the company that runs the jail, had been negotiating with the Community and Public Sector Union.“The provider, GSL, has got an issue and I understand they are working with the union to resolve it,” he said.

“I expect they will resolve this matter quickly.”A GSL spokesman said the company was aware of a dispute causing concern to staff.He said the lockdown had not affected visits, distribution of medicine, inmate escorts or the prison industries section.“We’re working closely with the union to resolve this matter,” the spokesman said.

15. märz 2005

BAHAMAS

am 9. dezember 2004 wurden bei einem riot im carmichael abschiebelager in nassau 20 menschen verletzt. jetzt wurden 29 kubanische männer wegen ihrer teilnahme an dem riot abgeschoben. ( grund für das ausbrechen des riots war ein bericht eines untersuchungsausschusses indem behauptet wurde daß es keine mißhandlungen durch polizei und wärter gäbe.)

Bahamas repatriates Cubans who rioted at detention center

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) The Bahamas government repatriated 29 illegal Cuban migrants Tuesday three months after they rioted at a detention center, officials said.The men were flown to Cuba without incident, Immigration Minister Vincent Peet said.The migrants had been held in a prison following a riot at Carmichael Road Detention Center in Nassau Dec. 9. The riot left 20 people injured, including 11 immigration officers.

The melee broke out when a group of migrants allegedly refused to open the door of their dormitory. Some of the migrants set fire to the room and hurled fiery objects at the immigration officers, who shot rubber bullets to disperse the detainees.None of the men was charged after the riot.``We thought that the expense that the country would incur made it not worth pursuing charges, and it is in everyone's interest to have them out of here,'' Peet said.

The riot broke out the day after the Bahamas government said a police investigation had found no evidence of physical abuse at the detention facility.The investigation had been conducted after the London-based human rights group Amnesty International urged the government to look into reported mistreatment of detainees.Migrants are brought to the detention center while they wait to be repatriated or their asylum claims are reviewed.

7. märz 2005

LATIN AMERICA

eine aufstellung von knastriots in lateinamerika:

Deadly Latin American Prison Riots

- March 7, 2005:
Rival gangs fighting for control of a Higuey, Dominican Republic, prison set pillows and sheets ablaze, starting a fire that kills at least 133 people. Rescuers are thwarted by a jammed entrance.

- Feb. 8, 2005:
Gangs battle in a Peruvian prison, leaving five inmates dead. The prison is designed for 1,800 inmates but holds more than 7,000.

- Jan. 21, 2005:
Prisoners seize control of a prison colony in central Brazil, killing two inmates and holding three guards hostage for 12 hours.

- Aug. 18, 2004:
Rival inmates at a Salvadoran prison fight with knives and sticks, killing at least 31 people. Prison officials say more than 3,000 prisoners are being held in a facility meant for 800.

- May 2004:
A three-day uprising at a prison in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, leaves 30 inmates dead - some beheaded and dismembered. It is Brazil's bloodiest prison riot since 1992, when 111 inmates died at the now-closed Carindiru prison.

- May 17, 2004:
At least 103 of 186 prisoners in a cell block set aside for gang members are killed in a prison riot in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Officials blame it on a short circuit. Gangs allege that rival inmates threw gasoline into the cells and set them ablaze as officials stood by.

- April 5, 2003:
Prisoners battle gang members at the El Porvenir prison farm in northern Honduras, leaving 69 people dead. Officials initially blame inmates, but a government report says guards committed most of the slayings. The prison is built for 150 inmates but holds 550.

- September 2002:
Prisoners at La Vega in the Dominican Republic set fire to mattresses, starting a blaze that kills 30 inmates. The prison is built for 50 but holds about 400 men in nine cells. Dominican prisons at the time were built to hold up to 7,000 inmates but had a population of some 16,500.

- Dec. 15, 2001:
Rioting inmates start a fire that sweeps through a prison in Paraguay's Ciudad del Este, killing at least 25 people. It apparently is touched off when a jailer shoots a prisoner who attacked him in an escape bid.

- Jan. 3, 1994:
Rampaging prisoners set fires and mutilate rivals, killing at least 103 at Venezuela's Maracaibo National Jail. Officials say Guajiro Indian inmates began the battle by tossing gasoline bombs to retaliate for the killings of Guajiro prisoners a week earlier. Some 3,000 prisoners inhabit the facility built for 800.

- Nov. 18, 1993:
Rival prison factions battle with knives, metal bars and rocks in eastern El Salvador. Twenty-seven prisoners are killed and 30 injured.

- May 1992:
Peruvian police kill at least 28 inmates while retaking a cell block that had been controlled by the Shining Path rebels.

4. märz 2005

UK

nach einem bericht des prison monitoring reports kam es im letzten jahr zu 1.400 "gewaltsamen vorfällen" im erlestoke knast. in 23 fällen sei von den wärtern gewalt benutzt worden.

25. februar 2005

MEXICO

riot von etwa 30 jugendliche im quinta del bosque jugendknast in toluca aus protest gegen ihre haftbedingungen und gegen mißhandlungen. „ 300 angehörige des general department of publik security and transition ( anti - riot - einheit) traffen in dem zentrum ein um den riot zu unterdrücken, zum zweitenmal in den letzten tagen in denen die behörden 3 mal eine revolte in einem jugendgefängnis in mexiko city verhinderten“.

USA / IRAK

21.februar 2005

zwei berichte über den riot im „camp bucca“ genannten knast vor drei wochen bei dem 4 gefangene getötet und 6 verletzt wurden. weil die „nonlethal“ waffen angeblich nicht wirksam waren , „mußten“ die soldaten in dem knast die gefangenen erschiessen, was von ihren vorgesetzten verteidigt wird. angeblich gab es keinen befehl zum einsatz von schußwaffen, aber es gäbe eine allgemeine order,die schußwaffengebrauch erlaubt. jetzt wurden die wärter mit neuen „nonlethal“ waffen ausgerüstet, deren reichweite weiter sein soll wie die der bisher benutzten, außerdem wurde ein neuer feuerwehrtanklastwagen geliefert der als tränengaswaffe eingesetzt werden soll. außerdem wird ein neues hochsicherheitsgefängnis in camp bucca gebaut mit isozellen, um „unruhestifter“ zu isolieren. keiner der gefangenen durfte bisher interviewt werden.

zahlen aus den artikeln:
3.180 gefangene sollen in abu ghraib sein, das größte us-miltärgefängnis bzw. „verhörzentrum“, 5.150 in camp bucca, 100 „hochrangige“ gefangene sind in camp cropper nahe des baghdader flughafens und ca. 1.300 werden in verschiedenen militärkasernen festgehalten.

INDIA

19.februar

wegen des todes eines gefangenen befinden sich alle 272 gefangene des koderma knastes in einem zeitlich unbegrenzten hungerstreik/ fasten.

United Kingdom

15. februar 2005

im deerbold young offender’ institute hatten sich 6 gefangene mehrere stunden in der knastkapelle verbarrikadiert. sie wurden nach mehreren stunden zum aufgeben gezwungen und danach in verschiedene knäste verlegt.

ARGENTINA

11.februar 2005

Rioting overtakes Argentine prison

Nach 24 Stunden Häftlingsrevolte beendet

Die Gefängnisrevolte in Argentinien mit acht Toten und zahlreichen Verletzten ist am Freitag nach 24 Stunden mit der Aufgabe der Meuterer zu Ende gegangen. Die Häftlinge in dem mit etwa 2000 Insassen völlig übergelegten Gefängnis in der Großstadt Córdoba ließen ihreletzten Geiseln frei, berichtete das Fernsehen. Die Sicherheitskräfte übernahmen wiederdie Kontrolle über das Gefängnis, und Eliteeinheiten der Polizei wurdenabgezogen.

Die Häftlingen hatten Hafterleichterungen und eine Verkürzung ihrerStrafen gefordert. Die Behörden sagten zu, dass eine Einschränkung des Besuchsrechts für Angehörige zurückgenommen werde. Die Häftlingedürften künftig wieder wie zuvor von mehreren Angehörigen zugleich besuchtwerden, sagte ein Sprecher der Polizei.

Am Vortag waren fünf Häftlinge, zwei Wächter und ein Polizist bei den Auseinandersetzungen getötet worden. Die Meuterer hatten auch 25 Wärterin ihre Gewalt gebracht, darunter auch den Direktor der Haftanstalt. Häftlinge, von denen viele zu lebenslangen Strafen verurteilt waren,hatten einige der Geiseln auf das Dach gezerrt und gedroht, sie in die Tiefe zu stürzen. Den um ihr Leben flehenden Opfern brachten sie Schnittwunden bei.

Mit Gewehren und Pistolen aus der Waffenkammer nahmen sie die Polizisten um das Gefängnis unter Feuer. Ein Teil der Anstalt, in der sich zeitweiseauch etwa 50 Familienangehörige von Insassen befanden, wurde durch ein Feuer vernichtet. Drei Häftlinge starben, als sie mit einem Lastwagen zu fliehen versuchten.

Bei dem Gefängnis handelt es sich um einen alten Bau mitten in der zweitgrößten Stadt des Landes 800 Kilometer nordwestlich von BuenosAires. Er ist für nur 700 Häftlinge ausgelegt und die Insassen müssen wie infast allen Gefängnissen Argentiniens in qualvoller Enge leben.

berichte über den riot im knast san martin , in der provinz cordoba.

PERU

10. Februar 2005

Es werden Waffen, Drogen, Bier und Telefone im Knast beschlagnahmt.

Lima – Die Polizei beschlagnahmte Feuerwaffen, Drogen, Bier und Mobiltelefone im Gefängnis Lurigancho wo eine Auseinandersetzung mit Schusswaffen zwischen Gefangenen um die Kontrolle über die Zellentrakte, sechs Tote und mindestens 20 Verletzte hinterließ. Es wurden bei der Razzia an der 100 Polizisten teilnahmen 7 Revolver, zwei Pistolen und weitere Feuerwaffen beschlagnahmt. Die Toten der Auseinandersetzung wurden begraben, während sich ein Großteil der Verletzten noch im Krankenhaus befindet und die mutmaßlichen Anführer in andere Gefängnisse verlegt wurden. Die Waffen sind laut einigen Journalisten mit Hilfe des Anstaltspersonal und durch Angehörige die nicht durchsucht worden in das Gefängnis gelangt. Dieser Schmuggel fände laut ihnen seit zwei Jahren statt. Das Gefängnis Lurigancho besitzt eine Belegung von 7000 Gefangenen. Es wurde 1960 für 2000 Gefangene gebaut.

Perú: Requisan armas, drogas, cerveza y teléfonos en prisión

LIMA - La policía requisó armas de fuego, drogas, cerveza, teléfonos celulares y cigarrillos en la cárcel limeña de Lurigancho donde un enfrentamiento a tiros entre presos, por el control de pabellones de celdas, dejó cinco muertos y al menos veinte heridos. Las autoridades informaron que la requisa se realizó el jueves durante siete horas en tres pabellones de celdas de la cárcel, que el martes fue escenario de un violento enfrentamiento armado entre bandas en pugna por el control de los pabellones. Indicaron que durante la requisa en la que participaron 100 policías se decomisó siete revólveres y dos pistolas con sus respectivas cacerinas, una pistola de fogueo, municiones de diferente calibre, cuatro teléfonos celulares con sus respectivos cargadores y dos fijos, cerveza rubia en latas, cigarrillos importados de distintas marcas, y varias bolsas con marihuana y pasta de cocaína. Según las autoridades, la requisa se efectúo en presencia de 19 funcionarios del Ministerio Público. Mientras, los reclusos fallecidos fueron sepultados, los heridos continúan hospitalizados, en tanto que los presuntos cabecillas de las bandas en pugna fueron trasladados a otras prisiones. Según versiones periodísticas algunos empleados civiles y policías corruptos que trabajan en la prisión suministran las armas y demás objetos o productos a los reclusos, o los dejan pasar a familiares o amigos de los internos, durante los días de visita, en todos los casos previo pago. Este tráfico se registra desde hace años. El penal de Lurigancho, para delincuentes comunes, tiene una población de más de 7.000 presos. Fue construido en la década de 1960 para 2.000 internos.

9. februar 2005

PERU

lt. den knastbehörden sind im lurigancho knast in lima bei als gang-riot bezeichneten kämpfen der gefangenen untereinander mind. 5 gefangene getötet und 18 verletzt worden. riot polizei wurde in den knast geschickt, da es „ widerstandsnester „ im knast gäbe. lurigancho war ursprünglich für 2.000 gefangene gebaut, zur zeit sollen dort über 8.000 menschen eingesperrt sein.

08 Februar 2005

PERU

Mindestens 9 Verletzte bei Meuterei im größten Gefängnis Perus (Lurigancho)

Nach Inoffiziellen Informationen handelt es sich um eine Auseinandersetzung um die Kontrolle des Gefängnisses, in die die Trakte 2 bis 12 und 20 verwickelt sind. Nach unbestätigten Informationen gibt es mindestens einen Toten, möglicherweise aber weitere Verletzte und Tote unter ihnen Polizisten. Ein Gefangener erklärte in einem Telefongespräch, dass 7 oder 8 Handgranaten (? Granados de guerra) explodiert seien und Gefangene mit Maschinengewehren anwesend gewesen seien. Von Gebäuden in der Nähe des Gefängnisses aus, kann man eine unbestimmte Anzahl von Gefangenen auf den Dächern beobachten, die Rufen und Decken andere Objekte verbrennen. Polizeikräfte schossen Tränengasgranaten ins Innere des Gefängnisses, wo sich Vertreter der Kirche und der „Defensoria del Pueblo“ eingefunden hatten, um eine unblutige Lösung zu finden. In den letzten Stunden haben die Polizeikräfte keine Informationen mehr aus dem Gefängnis dringen lassen

Al menos nueve heridos por motín en la mayor prisión del Perú

Lima, 8 feb (PL) Al menos nueve personas resultaron heridas hoy en un motín en el penal de San Juan de Lurigancho, el mayor del Perú, ubicado en el noreste de la capital, según los primeros informes. Versiones extraoficiales aseguran que se trata de una reyerta iniciada esta mañana por el control de la cárcel y afecta de los pabellones dos al 12 y el número 20. De acuerdo con esas fuentes, la riña entre los presos habría provocado un muerto, pero hasta el momento no hay informes oficiales al respecto. Uno de los internos, en una llamada telefónica a la emisora radial RPP Noticias, relató la explosión de siete u ocho granadas de guerra durante el conflicto y la presencia de reos con fusiles y ametralladoras. A partir de ese testimonio sin confirmar, la radioemisora informó que se presume haya varios muertos y heridos, entre ellos policías. Desde los cerros y edificios cercanos a la prisión se observan aún esta tarde un número indeterminado de presos dando gritos en los techos y quemando colchones y otros objetos. Fuerzas de la policía lanzaron granadas lacrimógenas hacia el interior de la cárcel, a donde acudieron también representantes de la iglesia y la Defensoría del Pueblo para tratar de buscar una solución incruenta de la crisis. Pasadas las 13:30 horas (18:30 UTC) las autoridades no han emitido un informe sobre la situación en el penal, hacia donde fueron desplazados refuerzos de la policía.
msl/rl

IRAK

31.januar 2005

U.S. troops fire on prison riot as 4 die

4 tote bei einem riot im camp bucca genannten knast im irak. der riot soll nach durchsuchungen (wegen nicht näher bezeichneter schmuggelware) begonnen haben und wurde nach 45 minuten niedergeschlagen. in camp bucca, südlich von basra an der grenze zu kuwait, sind ca. 5.300 menschen inhaftiert. in dem teil des knastes indem der riot war sollen es 2.900 sein. errichtet wurde der knast gleich nach der invasion der usa im märz 2003 als knast für irakische soldaten. in dem bericht des generals taguba im mai 2004 wurden folter und mißhandlungen in camp bucca festgestellt.

1. februar 2005
hier ein bericht zu dem riot aus einer islamischen zeitung:

KOLUMBIEN

Januar 2005

Riot at Doña Ana CountyJail

2 stunden lang gab es im dona ana county jail einen riot an dem 19 gefangene beteiligt gewesen waren. die gefangenen waren im hochsicherheitstrakt des knastes untergebracht. nach 2 stunden wurde der riot niedergeschlagen, über verletzte gibt es keine angaben.alle 19 werden wegen des riots angeklagt.

SCHOTTLAND

28.01. 2005

Jail Mutiny Prisoners Get Hefty Sentences

22 gefangene wurden mit strafen zwischen 3 monaten und neun jahren für ihre teilnahme an einem riot verurteilt. der riot, bei dem ein schaden von 2,75 millionen pfund entstand, passierte im oktober 2002 im lincoln prison.
nachdem ein gefangener einen wärter angriff, seinen schlüssel stahl und mehr als 150 gefangenen aus ihren zellen ließ. ein sprecher der polizei in lincolshire sagte: “wir haben die nachricht an die menschen in den gefängnissen gesandt daß diese dinge nicht toleriert werden und die tatsache das das gericht diese urteile fällte wird als warnung für die zukunft an alle dienen.“
über die prozesse konnte nicht berichtet werden, da sie unter ausschluß der öffentlichkeit stattfanden.

VENEZUELA

26. Januar 2005

Jail Mutiny Prisoners Get Hefty Sentences

laut einer offiziellen meldung beendeten über 10.000 gefangene in venezuela am dienstag einen 10tägigen hungerstreik nach einer aussage des National prison directors sollen noch mehrere tausend gefangene in 5 knästen im hungerstreik sein. er sagte ebenfalls,daß die 179 frauen und 62 kinder, die aus solidarität mit gefangenen angehörigen sich weigerten nach besuchen den knast zu verlassen, eingewilligt haben das gefängnis in barcelona. etwa 230km von caracas entfernt,zu verlassen. 20.000 gefangene in venezuela sind in 30 gefängnissen untergebracht, die gebaut waren für 15.000. einer der gründe für den hungerstreik waren die lange wartezeiten bis zu den prozessen. laut der menschenrechtsgruppe provea zeigte eine bericht im august daß 49,7% der gefangenen in den knästen nicht verurteilt sind. nach angaben von NGOs starben in den ersten 10 monate 2004 247 gefangene und weitere 536 wurden verletzt in riots, proteststreiks und kämpfen zwischen gangs.