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Annual report 2011 Annual Report of Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims Of Torture 2011 Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture is an non- governmental organization working against torture and rehabilitation of victims. The Center was established on the 26th of June 1999 (No. 143), the culmination of the experience accumulated follow-up committee to support the issue of detainees in Israeli prisons and prisoners gathered supporters. Khiam cener is the General Secretariat of the Aman Network Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture in the Middle East and North Africa, and a member of the IRCT and the Global Network Against Torture SOS. The center aims to count and document the mental and medical cases of victms of torture. Also, it aims to establish centers for medical physical and psychological treatment, social rehabilitation, vocational and educational training, and re-integration of survivors in the community. Moreover, it strengthens the mechanisms for the protection of human rights and defending the values of justice and equality against torture, violence, enforced disappearance and all forms of discrimination and violations of human rights. The center was nemed with respect to Khiam prison, which was closed on 23/5/2000. The center got the consultative status in ECOSOC of the UN ECOSOC in July 2010. Year 2011: Year of prisons and the violation of public freedoms Year 2011,was unique politically,a new government was formed headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati replacing the government of President Saad Hariri last July and investing the Special Tribunal on the assassination of martyr Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the continuation of the political divisions between the groups of the loyalists and the oppositions. But the common thing between all of the goverments is the sectarian quotas and neglecting the socio-economic problems, and the denial regarding the demands of civil society organizations. The year 2011 witnessed a series of labor and strikes and the public protests regarding the degradation of economic situation and of the social services at all levels. The year 2011 also had a huge security problems,starting by the UNIFIL attacks and the bombing of the the Church of Saidet in Zahle on March 27 as of the high rate of murders and stealing and bombing of restaurants,shops or restricting them in the cities of Sidon and Tyre, and some southern villages under the pretext of selling alcohol, in addition to other security incidents in the areas. As a reflection of what is happening in Syria, clashes took place between supporters and opponents of the Syrian regime that led to confrontations on August 2, 2011, in front of the Syrian embassy. Syrian regugees, who were opponents of the Syrian system, were deported to Syria in contravention to international laws. Decline in human rights movement: The year 2011 marked violations of civil liberties, and restrictions on human rights defenders, including: 1 - Arrest of the activist Ismail Sheikh Hassan at the Beirut airport on 10 \ 2 \ 2011, because of an article in Al-Safir newspaper. In addition to the detention of the journalist Hikmat Sharif, the representative of the French News Agency, for 24 hours at the Information Branch in Bekaa, after he received a phone call from a Roumieh prisoner who contacted him because he needs medicines. 2 – Interrogating the activitist Saad Eddin Shatila representative of Al-Karama organization in Beirut on July 25 for investigation against the backdrop of reports of torture in Lebanese prisons. He was interrogated twice then the case was dropped. 3 – A claim addressed by the Internal Security Forces on June 31 against Ali Aqil Khalil , the activist and defender of the rights of prisoners of Roumyeh prison and charging him of promoting pictures of torture from Roumyeh prison. 4 – Attacking a celebration of the Federation of Democratic Youth in Adloun twon and throwing him with eggs at the anniversary of the launch of the national resistance on September the 16th. 5 – Arresting 7 of the activists against the sectarian system on April 28 during their strike in Riad Solh Square. 6 – A case against Wadih Al Asmar, the director of the Lebanese Center for Human Rights on 10/2/2011. Such and similar practices reflect the decline of the human rights movement in Lebanon and the increase of violations. Prison uprisings: The year 2011 witnessed the widest campaign of protests by the families of prisoners, in addition to the Roumyeh uprisings and rebellions in most prisons as a result of official neglect and the absence of radical treatment for this humanitarian persistent cause. 50 prisoners have died in these prisons over the past years. Cancer , heart diseases, scabies and AIDS are spread, not to mention the overcrowding and slow trials. All of this forced prisoners to rise up on April 2 and caused the outbreak of a bloody confrontation between prisoners and the security forces, which resulted in injuring many and the death of four prisoners who are: Roy Azar - Jamil Abu Anneh - Nasser Darwish and Hatem Zein. On 7 \ 8 \ 2011, four prisoners in Roumyeh prison cut themselves which lead to the death of the prisoner Mohamed Zuaiter . The 13 \ 8 \ 2011 witnessed the escape of five prisoners from Romyeh prison. The year 2011 ended up with 5 cases of death, 9 escapes, tens of strikes against food, sit-ins and blocking roads for people. This movement has caused to highlight the issue of prison and placed it on the agenda of the government and the parliament, but no serious steps were done yet. Enforced Disappearances: The year 2011 witnessed the return of enforced disappearances, as the Syrian thinker Shibil Alaiseme was kidnapped in front of his house in the city of Aley, on April 27, and, despite the appeals and sit-ins , his fate is still unknown. His name was added to the list of missing people. The sit-ins in front of the United Nations building has been going on for 6 years now without any official interest and human treatment for this case. On the contrary, we have witnessed a decline in interest in this case because of the developments that occurred in the Arab world and the non-recognition of the political forces and the apathy of the government despite the cabinet assurance to adopt this issue. Files are on hold waiting for the official political will to get solved. In addition to this case, there was also the kidnap of the seven Estonians, the businessman Ahmed Zidane, and Iraqi citizens. They were kidnapped for financial reasons but all of them were released. In 2011, Israel has continued its arbitrary practices against the Lebanese citizens. It kidnaped the shephard Charbel Tanios El Khoury in his town in Rmeish on 13 \ 1 \ 2011 and he was released the next day. It also kidnapped the two shephards Lyon al Alam and Mohammed Zahra on 23 \ 3 \ 2011 who were both released later. Drive down the sectarian system: The year 2011 was marked with the attempt of keeping up with the Arab Spring through the youth campaign to bring down the sectarian system. Tents for cancelling the sectarianism, spreading equality and adopting the civil marriage were spread in more than one area. This attempt backed up due to competition between parties, absence of specific slogans, lack of benchmarks , the weakness and fragility of civil society, and the lack of sectarain awareness among citizens. The UPR and the National Plan for Human Rights: In 2011, Lebanon submitted its report regarding the human rights situation in Lebanon to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where the report was approved in the periodic review on March 17. That was an important step regardless of many observations, but the recommendations of the report are still awaiting implementation. After seven years of preparing the announcement of the National Plan for Human Rights, it was supposed to declare it on December 10, but it was postponed. The national plan and the establishment of the National Commission for Human Rights are significant steps, but they lack the accurate diagnosis of the current situation in Lebanon in addition to the lack specifications of the priorities of the target groups. The initiative of establishment the Committee against Torture in the Internal Security Forces and the Department of Human Rights at the Interior Ministry is an important step but it is not completed and it did not achieve its goals. Moreover, the suffering of Palestinian refugees and foreigners continued this year and the wave of racism and hatered increased in more than one region. As all the other cases, the humanitarian issues and the demands of civil society did not receive any attention from the government, leaving these files pending in addition to the desperate attempts that are taking place to abort the project of criminalizing domestic violence and the right to citizenship. This year, in such a tense political and sectarian-charged,the deteriorating economic ,security ,revolutions, popular protests and the Arab Centre continued his interest in the arrested and tortured victims and helped them physically and socially. Medical Assistance: The number of cases that have benefited from the medical service during 2011 in all the Lebanese regions is 504. The number includes the number of beneficiaries who visited Khiam Center in Beirut and the House of Lebanese Detainee \ Der Syrian, in addition to prisoners in the Lebanese prisons, victims of enforced disappearance and the case of marginalized women. The numbers are distributed as follow: The table shows the number of cases that have benefited from medical social services during the year 2011: Year Month No of cases Femal Mal New Follow Direct Indirect Syrian prisons Israly prisons Different Accute Chronic Consultations 2011 January 58 46 12 41 17 19 39 8 48 2 37 19 1 February 23 17 6 7 16 8 15 0 23 0 6 5 12 March 27 14 13 22 5 15 12 2 25 0 10 3 14 April 26 17 9 16 10 9 17 0 25 1 17 4 5 May 17 12 5 7 10 5 12 0 10 7 5 6 6 June 13 6 7 7 6 4 9 0 12 1 9 4 0 July 9 9 0 4 5 2 7 0 9 0 1 6 2 August 26 9 17 26 0 8 18 0 1 25 0 0 26 September 18 11 7 9 9 7 11 0 8 10 4 6 8 October 5 3 2 4 1 3 2 0 5 0 3 1 1 November 10 4 6 6 4 3 7 0 10 0 7 2 1 December 2 1 1 2 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 1 0 Total 234 149 85 150 83 84 150 10 179 46 101 57 76 Percentage of cases suffering from chronic diseases in 2011 and in all regions of Lebanon: The number of cases suffering from chronic diseases are 50 cases (57 is the overall number of cases including 50 cases suffering from a lasting chronic disease lasting and 7 cases who recovered, especially skin diseases). The proportion of each disease is distributed as follows: Diseases No of Cases Percentage Hypertention 8 16% Gastitis 4 8% Lower back pain 2 4% Cholesterol 3 6% Cefalfia 1 2% Diabet 7 14% Depression 2 4% Arthritis 3 6% CHD 2 4% Mental disability 1 2% Disc 2 4% Osteoporose 2 4% Migraine 1 2% Dermatitis 1 2% Tensilitis 1 2% Otitis 1 2% Pyelone phritis 1 2% Conjenctuvitis 2 4% Eczema 5 10% Total 50 100% The table above show that the proportion of each disease that the victims of torture suffered from (prisoners and their relatives and the families of missing persons) differ from each other and this is due to the difference in age groups and thus the cases that were either direct victims or indirect victims. The age category that is a indirect, especially children, suffer from the following diseases: allergy - inflammation in the almonds - ear infections - fungi - eczema- eye problems, headaches, back pain, and this is due to the proliferation of bacteria and germs, which due to the remnants of the war in July 2006 and its aftermath (as a result of bombs, missiles and chemicals that entered the air as well as in soil and that ] enter the body through fruit, vegetables, and even groundwater) .. As for the chronic diseases of diabetes - pressure - pain in the joints - the fat in the blood - thinning of the bones - heart disease - and mental illness (depression) .., these diseases appeared in the cases of male and female detainees and the mothers and families of missing persons because of the suffering they have experienced within the prisons or even people who have aided them due to fear for the fate of their children and loss and which accumulated diseases in their bodies, and because of the high humidity in the prisons’ cells and the rare appearance of sun and air in the rooms, which works on the accumulation of bacteria leading to diseases, especially skin which (eczema - fungi - sensitive skin ..) that became chronic with time, which appeared in most years after the release, and the lack of food and non-movement and the delay in health care. Also, in many cases, the beating, standing for long hours, sitting cross-legged position, throwing detainee with cold water during winter and all kinds of physical torture. The reason for the accumulation of bone diseases (osteoporosis bone - joint pain, lower back and disc), and as a result of strong psychological torture, such as: the threat of death - the arrest of friends and family - the destruction of homes - indecent assault - constant insults and humiliation... Failure to get the minimum rights of the detainee as a human being has led to blood pressure - Diabetes - high fats in the blood and mental illness (particularly depression). The relatives of the missing have the largest share of chronic diseases caused by the oppression and fear for the unknown fate of their children and/or their parents. Most of them do not have anyone to support them and their economic conditions are deteriorated, which increased their illnesses. Examples of illness are: Diabetes - high blood pressure - fat in the blood.. . The suffering accompanied with the regular thinking about the missing family member, who has an unknown fate, and the anguish incorporated in every mother or father or sister or brother, gave those latter inexhaustible concerns and doubled their psychological and physical illnesses, as even medicine does not heal them but at least it makes their health stable. The medical days: • The House of Detainee/Der Seryan The number of health days that have been implemented in the South in general and especially in the The House of Detainee (Bayt al Asir) was 5 days, as follows: Date Location Occasion No.of cases Echography 16\1\2011 Derseryan _________ 53 13 27\2\2011 Derseryan The international women day 21 0 27\3\2011 Derseryan Mothers day 11 0 26\4\2011 Derseryan ___________ 16 5 19\6\2011 Derseryan International Day against torture 14 0 Total 3 occasions 115 18 The cases that benefited (direct and indirect) were in the following areas: Der Seryan - Taybeh- Kantara - Adayseh - Kfar Kila - Hula - Markaba - BannyHayyan - Adchit Al Kouseyr – Reb Al Tlatin. The number of medical examinations of prisoners and their relatives and families of missing persons in Der Seryan and the other village, who visited the center or were visited by the center’s medical team and social workers were 163 medical examination and consultation, and were distributed as follows: Total Number Femal Mal Follow-up New Direct Indirect Accute Chronic Consultations 163 109 54 106 57 55 108 91 43 29 The medical team made during this year 30 visits to the targeted group of prisoners and missing people, distributed as follow: Target group أسير أسيرة Family of prisoners No. Of visits 11 12 7 No. Of visits for each target 23 7 Total number of visits 30 visits Moreover, the team held 7 visits to new cases (detainess, 6 visits to the families of missing persons) and 27 follow-up visits in the following areas: Froun - Kantara - Taybeh - Der Seryan – Adchit Al kosar - Markaba - Hula - Kfar Kila - Blida - Bani Hayyan - Tallusah – Reb Al Tletin. In addition to the above, the team visited a number of mayors and heads of municipalities in the region to coordinate with them. • Families of victims of enforced disappearance in Beirut: The issue of missing people at Khiam Center gets and exceptional interest whether in the media, health wise, or social wise. The Centre carried out 8 healthy days and the number of beneficiaries of the families of medical and psychological services is 69 cases. Following are the details: Date Location Occasion No. of cases HGT 20\1\2011 Beirut ________ 10 24\3\2011 Beirut Mothers day 8 5 21\4\2011 Beirut The international day for women 5 2 26\5\2011 Beirut ____________ 14 0 28\7\2011 Beirut ____________ 5 0 25\8\2011 Beirut The international day against enforced disappearance 12 0 27\11\2011 Beirut _____________ 8 0 17\11\2011 Beirut The international day against violence of women 7 0 Total Beirut 4 occasion 69 7 Through the repeated visits of the families of the missing to Khiam Center, the number of cases who benefited from the medical service is 13, 69 cases (repeated during the year). The center has conducted examination of diabetes for 7 cases, and transfer case (the mother of missing monthly visits to the doctor, the heart and arteries). The total number of the repeated health visits to the center is 114, as for the parents of victims, the number of social visits to the center in Beirut is 21 visits. 3 psychological activities and meetings for parents, where the total number who benefited from the Psychological Service (repeated during the meetings) is 28 cases. They benefited from the multiple individual or collective meetings on several occasions including: International Women's Day , the Mother’s Day, International Day of the enforced disappearance. They also participated in the sit-ins that the center organized, particularly on the International Day of the enforced disappearance. The incurred suffering of the missings’ relatives is due to the loss of the loved ones (husband, son, father, brother) without knowing the identity of the actor, the circumstances, and the reason behind their missing. In addition, they suffer from the grief, anxiety and thinking of oppression and fear for their fate. Moreover, they endure difficult social conditions due to the loss the breadwinner and the hard economic and health status which is increasing with age and the inability to regularly secure the medicine, and psychological status that the constantly live whith. In an attempt to alleviate that suffer, the Khiam Center supervised their physical, mental and social requirements over the year through providing individual and collective psychological support. The center held health days where it conducted permanent screening and referred the victims to specialized doctors, in addition to paying some therapeutic expenses. The support that the center offered, and the fact of gathering them all in one place so they communicate and share their experiences and suffering, had a role in the improvement of their condition and in keeping the hope of attainig better results while keeping the permanent assisitant of the center. • Deprived of their liberty in Lebanese prisons: Khiam Center was the first to warn about the deteriorating situation in the Lebanese prisons on all levels: health, social, judicial and mental. During the tour that took place in the Lebanese prisons in 2011, the team visited 4 prisons (Zahle for women,Tyre, Tibnin, and Baabda for women). The numbers of male and female beneficiaries of medical services are distributed as follows: Name of the prison No. Of cases Follow up New Accute Chronic Consultation Tyre prison 22 7 15 12 8 2 Zahleh prison for women 20 0 20 17 2 1 Tibnin prison 13 2 11 5 8 0 Baabda prison for women 25 5 20 8 17 0 Total 80 14 66 42 35 3 - Carried out (2) operationa for two women prisoners (hernia surgery) in the prison in Tyre. - On leisure and social terms, the center’s team has cut the hair of 27 inmates in the prisons of Zahle and Baabda, and held 7 social meetings with 7 prisoners, in addition to holding another meeting with an inmate in the Tyre prison. - The team has also examined the cases of 26 men and women (filling forms), including the study of 12 inmates. Those studies showed that the majority of cases have committed crimes as a result of their difficult economic and the high prices of living. As for girls, studies showed that the repression they have experienced by parents or husbands (if married) make them behave in an illegal way to get rid of the injustice that they suffer from (as they say). Many of the women prisoners who leave the prison and find no support outside prison, whether from the family or their community as a whole, they reenter the cycle of criminal acts to return to prison, as it is the only shelter that they can turn to. They forget that this shelter that provides food and a place to sleep is accompanied with bad food and uncomfortable ways of sleep… but they accept it as is. Prisons, which are supposed to be a rehabilitation place, and due to the indifference of the prisons administration, the psychological and/or social situation of prisoners, especiall women prisoners, get worse. This fact increase and worsen their situation and it transform them from people who committed minor crimes to people who lose their morals, become addicted to drugs and become criminals. • Diseases that were detected when male and female prisoners in Lebanese prisons were the following: Diseases No.of cases Arthritis 4 Lowerback pain 4 Bronchitis 10 Cefalfia 3 Dermatitis 3 Dermatitis 5 Veriscolar 2 Pyelone phritis 4 Aene vulgaris 3 Depression 5 Gastritis 7 Tensilitis 1 Aene 2 Piodermia 2 Migraine 1 Diabet 1 Anxaity 2 Psoriasis 3 Tuberculosis 2 Thyroiditis 1 Trauma 3 Chest pain 2 Hepatitis 2 Consultations 7 Neoplasia of cervix 1 Gastitis 1 Epatitis 2 Total 2 diseases3 The majority of skin diseases that men and women inmates suffer from are due to their insufficiant exposure to the sun and insufficient quantity to protect them from the non-proliferation viruses and microbes. The room humidity and parasites that accumulate due to humidity, which cause them chest diseases like asthma and allergies, and therefore they get colds and infections, bronchi pulmonary and also contributes to the growing these diseases, the irregular eating, the bad food quality and the speed of treatment. The diseases of the joints and bones are very frequent, especially lower back pain because of no mobility and lack of walking, due to sitting for long hours, lack of work, poor diet and not eating regularly. Followed by the disease: high blood pressure - fat in the blood - Diabetes is a result of repression and lack of attention to the patient's health since the beginning and thus to malnutrition and the diseases and ailments: pain in the head - Neurology - depression - paid for increasing the psychological pressure caused by the fear, anxiety, the thinking of punishment, the absence of trials, the suffering of their families, the way the prison supervisors and responsibles treat them, especially when moving from one prison to another . Not to mention smoking… a major problem by itself. In addition, there is the inflammation in the urinary tract and the sand is the result of often non-clean water, and therefore not drinking regularly or sufficient quantity of water on a daily basis. As for diseases, including chronic (diabetes - ulcers - pressure - fat ...), some of them were present before being emprisoned, but the lack of interest in the drug delivery increased the problem. In addition to their inability to buy medicines or treatment and the indifference of prison administrations, prisoners have social and psychological pressure, which they suffer as a result of an imposed mixing of prisoners in cells filled with various offenses, a number of them suffer from depression and diseases of nerves, which are constantly increasing. After each visit and physical checkup, the center gives the drugs, accordiong to the medical capabilities available at the Centre, to the administration of prisons with the name of each prisoner on it and management takes the task of giving out the medicines. Nationalities of prisoners and prisoneres: Since the prisons are in Lebanon, the majority of inmates are Lebanese, followed by inmates from the Syrian nationality and then inmates from foreing countries such as: Ethiopia - Philippines - India - Bangladesh - Nepal, Sri Lanka .. and a few countries: Brazil - Turkey - Russia - Morocco - Palestine - Egypt - Iraq - Tunisia, Algeria .. • Proposal: The majority of the Lebanese prisons lack medicines, particularly chronic medication. Many prisons do not contain the necessary medical equipment such as: pressure measuring machine - diabetes screening machine - a machine to check the ears ... It was also noted that nurses are not specialists in particular, that is, it is possible to have someone from the security forces, or one of the guards who has no relevance with medicine. Even if the nurse follows the guidelines and instructions of the Supreme, he/she does not exercise his/her profession faithfully (sometimes he/she doesn’t transfer a patient in need for necessary operation or even to a physician specialty ...). Even the daily necessary needs of men and women inmates in some prisons sometimes not provided (A place to put the washe clothes, food, sanitary towels, cleaning detergents, refrigerator, heating and cooling ...). Also most of the prisons are not valid for the detention of people and it is supposed to change the place, or even prisons need rehabilitation: painting – adding windows for ventilating the rooms and toilets. Moreover, prisons need to be equipped for handicaped inmates who have special needs with special cases, in addition on keeping regular maintenance and cleaning. It is clear that some of the prisons don’t have a specialized nurse, and sometimes the patient does not take his/her medication or the following nurse does not follow his/her treatment. The majority of prisons lack the presence of a pharmacy that contain only therapeutic drugs, whick is of a high importance. It was also shown that there is an urgent need for psychological support and that the presence of a psychiatrist or psychologist in every prison is very important, and it is a requirement for many prisoners. The health work for all the groups that benefited from the medical services of the center: For the total work of the medical center and all target groups of prisoners, detainees, missing persons and families of prisoners in the Lebanese prisons, the number of cases that have benefited from medical examinations and consultations the case of 314 are distributed as follows: Target group No of cases Direct Indirect Follow up New Accute Chronic Consultations x-detainees and family of disapperance /Isreil and Syrien prisons 234 84 150 83 151 101 57 76 Prisoners in Lebanese prisons 80 80 0 14 66 42 35 3 Total 314 164 150 97 217 143 92 79 The center organized 17 medical days where 264 cases benefited directly and indirectly from the services. Psychologically, the center held 4 activities and meetings benefiting 36 cases (including repeated cases). The activities involved psychological counseling, individual and collective discharging, in addition to filling out forms and studying the case of 43 person of all target groups (prisoner - a prisoner - is missing). • Social assistance: During the year 2011, 53 new cases filled new forms, they were distributed as follow: - 15 forms to the victims of enforced disappearance of the following areas: Al Taibe (6) - Tair Dibba (6) - Lhallosiah (1) - Bedias (1) - Froun (1). - 12 forms for Victims of Torture of the following areas: Froun (1) - Blida (2) - Rmeish (1) - Hiniyeh (8) - 26 prisoner case were studied in Lebanese prisons. - During that period, the center held 29 health and social visits to the families of prisoners and the missing, and 64 follow-up visits for prisoners and families of missing persons from 17 southern area are the following: Al Henieh - Froun - Tair Dibba - Lhallosiah - Bedias - Kantara - Taybeh - Der Seryan - Adchit Al Kser - Markaba - Hula - Bazourieh - Tyre - Kfar Kila - Blida-Bany Hayyan - Tallusah. - During February 2011 and in coordination with the Indonesian Battalion, the centre carried out a two entertaining and educational days for the children Der Seryan that consisted showing them a movie where 39 children attended it. - 10 forms have been filled in the district of Marjayoun and were as follows: Target group Village Total no. Of forms Taybeh Froun Blida No.of forms Total no. Ex-detainees 0 1 2 3 10 Forms Disappear 6 1 0 7 - NSA project: Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture is implementing a project funded by the European Union in partnership with the IRCT and the second year of the project is aimed at workers in the center of the project in addition to civil society. The activities that fall within this project, the Centre implemented the following activities: 1 - Exchange of expertise the Centre implemented a number of training courses for workers in the Center: • From the date of 2 through 6 May, the Centre organized a training course with the Medical Foundation titled: “ How to use the information for humanitarian purposes”, in the Commodore Hotel, Beirut. • General objective: to explore new ways to use the data of the victims of Khiam, in addition to the evidence of torture that can feed local initiatives and international human rights to prevent torture and the protection of survivors. • General Educational Objectives To identify the results and approaches and human rights procedures that can be done or that could feed the Khiam Center, locally, nationally and globally using data from beneficiaries of services. • The Center participated in the training course organized by the IRCT Medical Foundation in London entitled: “Advocacy and media” from 15/5/2011 to 18/5/2011. • From 10 until July 15, 2011, a team from Khiam Center visited the ACET Centre in Bulgaria in the exchange of experiences in the process of legal and psychological rehabilitation of the Iraqi refugees. 1 - Advocacy: The Centre organized a number of advocacy workshops: • Prison uprising Roumyeh: On April 19, 2011 the Centre held a workshop entitled "Roumyeh prison uprising and the required steps " at the Commodore Hotel, Beirut. The workshop was attended by a representative of the Minister of Interior and Municipalities and a representative of the Secretary General of the forces for internal security Asafah to representatives of civil society associations and a number of families of prisoners. The following recommendations were issued from the workshop: 1 – Hold a judicial inquiry 2 - Compensate the victims' families 3 – Provide personal grievances 4 – Rehabilitate prisons and to build new prisons 5 – Separate prisoners according to health status, age, size and type of crime 6 - Link the delivery of health Ministry of Health, through the presence of doctors, public health specialists and psychologists in prisons throughout the 24 hours 7 – Call the Ministries of Education, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Interior to carry out their duties in collaboration with the civil society 8 – Pay monthly visits to the prosecutor and the investigating judge of appeal to prison as provided in Article 15 of the prison system 9 - Reconsider the law of sanctions and procedures 10 – Develop of alternative sanctions 11 – Consider the conditions of severe medical conditions and release them 12 – Give a particular attention to events that occur in prisons 13 – Hold a drug screening for inmates before entering the prison to check if they are on drugs 14 – Review the prisons’ systems and ask the Parliament to approve the dormant projects 15 – Consider that the process of rehabilitation of the prisoner is the foundation of treatment 16 – Prisons’ management must be specialized and have awareness of the prisoners’ rights and should follow written tests 17 – Set out a protective mechanism to prevent torture in prisons 18 - Put an end to arbitrary detention of refugees who ended their sentences 19 - Raise the study of the women inmates and Roumyeh prison to the Human Rights Council at the United Nations 20 – Set out a national conference on prisons to organize the human rights section in the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with civil society 21 - Ask the government to set up a ministerial committee to plan a comprehensive and radical reform to the issue of prisons and the release the projects from the drawers of the Parliament 22 - Open the doors of prisons to civil society • On November 26th, on the occasion of the “International Day for Human Rights”, the Centre organized a workshop at the Holiday Inn Hotel, entitled "National Plan for Human Rights and the Arab spring" 2 – The center prepared a number of brochures and posters about: human rights, the UPR, the International Day Against Torture, the International Day against enforced disappearances, the UPR report. 3 - On the occasion of the International Women's Day (8 March), the centre developed radio ad broadcasterd on the “Radio Al Shaab” on this occasion as well as on the occasion of World Day Against Torture. 4 – The center issued a study on Roumieh prison entitled: Lebanese prisons, time bombs, Roumieh prison form of torture, and has sent this document to the United Nations. Violence against women project Economic empowerment is the key to women's rights In March 2011, the Khiam Center began the implementation of a project entilted “violence against women” funded by the European Union and in partnership with IRCT, which aims to provide health and psychosocial support in addition to educational and professional support to improve their livelihoods and make them aware of their rights. The target group that benefit from this project is women prone to marginalization, violence and torture. • The number of women who benefited from medical aid in this project is 85. The target group was marginalized women and women vulnerable to violence and torture in addition to prisoners in Lebanese prisons and the mothers of the missing. That was done through organizing health in The House of Detainee in Der Seryan, in addition to the health days held in women prisons and in the center in Beiurt. Moreover, the center held an health awareness seminar in Albrglah town in the south. -The Centre organized a training course for workers in the center on April 7 and 8, 2011 entitled "Improving livelihoods," coach John Cors. Objectives of the workshop: The sustainable livelihoods approach is broad and comprehensive. But here are six main objectives: 1. Improve access to quality education, information, communications and training in addition to achieving better health and food. 2. More cohesive social environment and support. 3. Greater access and more secure natural resources and better management of resources . 4. Achieve and facilitate greater access and more secure infrastructure. 5. And more secure access to financial resources. 6. Policy and institutional environment that supports multiple livelihood strategies and promotes equitable access to competitive markets for all. • The target group benefited from 6 vocational training under this project and the number was 100 women and girls and distributed as follow: - From May 10 to June 10, 2011 the Centre organized a training for producing and making accessories in the southern suburbs in partnership with the Women Democratic Women Gathering. The number of beneficiaries is 16 women. - From May 11 to June 11, 2011 the centre organized, in partnership with the Women Democratic Gathering, a “Crochet session” in Sidon, the number of beneficiaries is 11 women. - From April 27 to 30 Huzeirat 2011, the centre organized another training for producing and making accessories in the southern suburbs for 15 women. - On June 10, 2011 the Centre organized a training for hairstyling in Zahle prison for women and the number of prisoners who participated is 16. - On 15 August 2011 the centre held a training for hairstyling in Baabda women prison where 15 inmates took part in it. - From October 17 until December 19, 2011 the centre organized a trailing for hairstyling in Albrglah for 27 women. • On the occasion of the Women’s International Day, the centre organized two health days in Der Syrian and in its location in Beirut (24 / 3 and 27 / 3) in addition to a social and health day in Albrglah where the psychologist introduced women's rights to the attendees, and offered collective psychological support. The center issued brochures and posters on the occasion. • The project falls within a program to educate women about their rights and the centre organized a number of courses which came in the following form: - On 31/5/2011 and 7/6/2011, the centre carried out a sensitization session on violence and torture in the southern suburb for women who participated in the capacity building training. 14 women attended the session. - On 15/7/2011 it was an addition to the two previous worksop in the session on women's rights and the laws of Lebanon. -26 / 8 / 2011 the centre organized a meeting of the families of missing persons in the center of Beirut, where he discussed the daily lives of the families of missing persons and mental suffering they complained about and within this session were introduced the World Day against enforced disappearances. - On 28/11/2011 the centre held a workshop in Albrglah for the women who attended the capacity building training. The workshop introduced, on the occasion of the International Day against Violence against Women, the gaps Lebanese laws, violence and torture in Lebanon in addition to women's rights. Women's economic empowerment and job creation is the key to their freedom. Hence the call to focus the attention on social and economic aspects, because the causes of violence are at the base economic and social. National Plan for Human Rights and the observations of the center: Since 2005 and the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights seeks to prepare and launch the National Plan for Human Rights, which was supposed to be announced last year - On 5/9/2011 Khiam Rehabilitation Center sent its comments on the National Plan for Human Rights to the Parliament. Following are the observations: • According to a draft plan on national justice regarding the torture subject, it says that the Lebanese law criminalize torture. The center believes that this is not true with reference to confirm that the recommendations include torture as a crime. • It must be emphasized out loud that there is torture and ill treatment in prison and the uprising of the Lebanese prisoners in Roumyeh on April 2, 2011 is the biggest proof that while the draft barely address the issue of torture. • In the sixteenth session of the Council of Human Rights during the universal periodic review on 17 March 2011, Lebanon has agreed to establish a national preventive mechanism to prevent torture. Therefore I suggest to include the draft, calling for Lebanon to announce the implementation of the Human Rights Council. - Lebanon approved the recommendations on enforced disappearances on 17 March 2011 before the Human Rights Council, and therefore we also suggest demand Lebanon to implement what was agreed upon in his report on the situation of human rights and to fulfill its obligations on the issue of missing persons, and therefore they are no longer recommendations. - Add a paragraph about the the martyrs’ bodies that Israel is keeping in detention and considering that the issue of Lebanese detainees and the missing persons in the Israeli jails is still open and closed by the process of exchange between Hezbollah and Israel, which is still an open file. I also suggest that the plan includes a recommendation to revise the Amnesty Law of 1991 as it was fair to the criminals but id did not do give justice to the victims. وتفوح من المسودة رائحة الطائفية فعندما تتحدث الوثيقة عن قضية المفقودين تورد انها قضية تحوز على The draft document is based on sectarianism as the issue of missing persons, when listed, it says that it is an issue of interest to all religions. Why don’t they say “all Lebanese” instead?. Sectarianism is the opposites of human rights, and justice is the opposite of sectarian. A national plan that does not take the issue of sectarian a central importance is a plan that I do not approve, because the sectarian will be killing the national plan for human rights, for this reason we suggested removing the word sectarianism from the document. Although the observations made by the Centre and the discussion in several meetings in the parliament, the makers of the national plan ignored the comments and overlooked the issue of sectarianism. - On 10/11/2011 the center sent a statement that welcomed the proposal of law submitted by MPs Michel Moussa and Ghassan Moukheiber, which aims to establish a National Commission for Human Rights and includes the Committee for the Prevention of Torture. The establishment of the body is the culmination of a long struggle for humanitarian organizations and civil society activists, and that will enhance the human rights movement in the process of escalating the violations and prosecutions of human rights defenders, and commends the Center for the efforts made by the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights to establish the entity and the private House Ghassan Moukheiber. Michel Moussa only shows that the center lost his fear that preventive mechanism to prevent torture and lose its independence within the framework of the National Commission for Human Rights The strength of the national preventive mechanism to prevent torture that should have been established by the end of the year 2009 is not incorporated in the draft National Commission to be approved in parliament, it is in its independence as a separate and specific objectives as stipulated in the Optional Protocol to the Convention against torture, either attach it to the National Human Rights and make it a part of it which will make it lose the national independence and powers required. The center, which hopes to accelerate the adoption of the Parliament to propose a law to establish the National Commission for Human Rights, stresses the full autonomy of the preventive mechanism to prevent torture and to be an independent commission and its powers outside the framework of the National Commission for Human Rights and in isolation from them, with an emphasis on cooperation and coordination between the two bodies. - The Centre organized a workshop on the National Plan for Human Rights on 26/11/2011 and issued the following recommendations: launching a broad dialogue on human rights in Lebanon's civil and political rights, economic, social, cultural, environmental, and consider the report of the Lebanon, which passed in the meeting of the universal periodic review in the Human Rights Council on 17 March 2011 based on the national plan being based on a global pledge to Lebanon to implement it before the highest authority of human rights in the world, giving priority to the issue of socio-economic, unemployment, prisons, the judiciary and to be the cause of women the essence of the national plan as a true measure of commitment to human rights, separation of the establishment of national preventive mechanism to prevent Torture on the draft decision of the national human rights because the integration of preventive mechanism at the National weaken the preventive mechanism and limits of validity, the acceleration of the preventive mechanism to prevent torture to face the explosive situation in Roumyeh prison and the other Lebanese prisons, attention to the suffering of the tragic Palestinian refugees and especially deficient in paperwork, and appeal to the government approval their human rights and civil and attention to refugees other foreigners away from the racism and treated in a humane manner that preserves their human dignity, invitation of the Ministry of National Education and Higher Education to include the subject of human rights in educational curricula and the mind of basic learning materials to promote a culture of human rights and confront concepts of sectarianism nestled among students , ask the government to speed up the development of a national plan to address the conditions of prisons and the welfare of disabled persons and their integration in society, and promote the development of women and to stop the prosecution of human rights defenders and the submission of overdue reports to the Human Rights Council and ratified a number of international conventions and humane treatment to the issue of missing persons and the establishment of a genuine dialogue with society Civil and participation in the implementation of the recommendations of the UPR UPR and holding periodic meetings of civil society and strengthen the coordination between them. The International Days Report of 26 June activities, 2011 • The Centre organized a press conference at the Press Syndicate of Lebanon, the Secretary General of the Centre, Mohammed Safa announced the program of the activities of the Center on the occasion of June 26, 2011 on the UN to support the victims of torture under the three headings: poverty torture, sectarian torture, discrimination torture, Lebanese prisons torture. • On 14/06/2011 a group of the Denmark center for the Rehabilitation of the refugees visit the headquarters of the Khiam Center in Cornish al Mzraa and they met the Secretary General of the Centre and during the meeting identified the activities of the Khiam Center and the services provided in addition to the definition of activities and services center in Denmark. • On 18/06/2011 the Danish delegation visit former Khiam prison, where he met a number of prisoners freed and listened to their testimonies about torture. • On 19/6/2011 the center organized a healthy social media in support of the former detainees and their families with the participation of Danish delegation, which includes doctors and specialists in the house of Lebanese prisoner in the village of Dersrian addition to the participation of a delegation of the Noor Al Hussein of Jordan and the prisoners of editors and heads of municipalities, included activity previews medical victims detention, torture, and was symbolic ceremony in which Secretary-General spoke of the center called on the government to issue laws that criminalize torture, discrimination and sectarian incitement and dropped the word director of the Center Denmark Ms. Brigitte Prao. • On the occasion of the United Nations Day in Support of Victims of Torture the centre organize on 24/6/2011 a workshop under the title against torture and the use of modern means of communication with the Mr.Jean Korres in the Holiday Inn Hotel - , different associations and lawyers attended the workshop. Topics of discussion included how to use modern means of communication in advocacy and defense of human rights and against torture and the types of these methods and the characteristics of each one of them. • The staff visited many Lebanese prisons following: - Tyre prison : On 06/01/2011 distributing brochures in 26 June, and underwent a number of prisoners to display health. - Zahle prison for women: on 10/6/2011 team included public health and a hair dresser that train women prisoner on how to cut the hair and social worker was listening to the suffering. - Tibnin prison: on 08/06/2011 the staff visit the prison and distributed brochures for 26 June and provided health and social benefits had been subject to medical previews. • A radio advertisement: poverty torture, discrimination torture, sectarian torture on the Sawt el Shaab radio channel from 1 June until June 26, 2011 • The center issued a poster and a brochure on the occasion of June 26. • On 26/6/2011the center organize a sit in front of the Grand Serail (Riad Solh). Participated in the sit-in off the relatives of the missing and the families of prisoners and victims of torture • Received the Director of Public Relations at the Prime Minister Qasim Darwish declared June 26 to head the government. The Declaration called for the criminalization of torture and the establishment of national preventive mechanism for the prevention and investigation of torture in prison massacre Roumyeh and the formation of an independent national body to investigate the fate of all missing persons. The International Day for Human Rights On the occasion of the tenth of December International Day of Human Rights and the aim of spreading the culture of human rights and the promotion and protection of rights in Lebanon, systems Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture in a project funded by the NSA and the European Union in partnership with the IRCT several activities. On 26 \ 11 \ 2011the center organized a workshop at the Holiday Inn Hotel under the title: the National Plan for Human Rights and the Arab spring, participated in the workshop, representatives from the Ministries of Interior and the National Education and Public Security and a host of associations working in the field of human rights and against violence, torture, and after discussion and exchange of opinions issued several recommendations. Activities in the private and public schools in Lebanon Included activities throughout the week, most of the public and private schools, with the release of the Minister of Education Professor Hassan Diab circular No. 29/3/2011, he called on all those responsible for universities and high schools and public and private schools to actively participate in the revival of this global event, through the allocation of a class full 9/12/2011 or in the 10/12/2011 to introduce students and pupils the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and distribute them and teach them the principles of non-violence, torture and sectarian destructive and to promote the concept of peace, tolerance, justice, equality and civil peace, in addition to organizing exhibitions on human rights violations by drawing contests and writing stories, in collaboration with the Center for tents and to facilitate his entry in to school. The center received many calls from schools from all regions of Lebanon to the Working Group at the center to visit schools and explain the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and some schools marked the occasion by organizing activities, theater and shows a drawing. The center printed brochure on human rights and posters in addition to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have been distributed to nearly five thousand copies of these versions on schools and educational institutions. The Center received drawings from school centered about torture in prisons, domestic violence, discrimination between men and women, child rights, right to health, right to education.... Demand justice and improve public schools. We can say that all the schools of Lebanon commemorated the occasion in its own way, the first time in the history of Lebanon is entering the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the schools participating in the activity is not only students, but thousands of teachers and of course the families of the students. We recall here some of the models. • In the School of Ali bin Abi Talib - destinations (Beirut) has been preparing for the activity and widely opened activity playing the Lebanese national anthem and active destination by the Task Scouts purposes, and was then recited verses from the Koran, then gave Mr. Jinan diaspora word school and then the students presented films about the human rights situation (domestic violence, the concept of human rights) and the word of the Centre for tents on human rights and the need to criminalize violence and torture, and then was to move to the courtyard of the stadium to attend a play prepared by students on human rights and torture of women in prison and then was the opening of Gallery painted by students, which reflect the social reality in Lebanon. • the professionalism of Aita al-Shaab in the south was the distribution of brochures and explanation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on the students has been the objection of some to distribute to students, especially Article 18 of the Declaration, which stipulates freedom of the person to change his religion. The discussion centered around their school and the failure of the Ministry of Education of the needs of the absence of a fireplace, especially as the weather region is very cold, and then for failing to secure the needs of the professional tools by the Ministry and as a student because most students their financial narrow and that these must be at the expense of the ministry, so that the panels rows obsolete old .. and he must look to the rights of students of that, and which ones are the rest of the rights .. and during the discussion of rights the focus was on the right to liberty and equality .. and other questions that focused on their right to live in dignity as citizens of the Western moment of his birth is secured, from the state. • As for the School of Talaba in Beirut: they organized a fair at school on the occasion of World Day for Human Rights and the exhibition included images representing childhood deprivation and child labor and the right of human for medical care, work and home and safe housing respected and the rights of people with special needs from the practice of sport and integration .. They also put a movie about child labor in Lebanon and the world. The project was prepared by the teacher and secondary school students shoot and edit on working children in Lebanon, about one hundred thousand children under the age of 18 are working in occupations metal forging, auto mechanics and other interests. The Taiba School (South) sent us drawings for the children that say, the right to play, the right knowledge, right to life, and ask UNESCO to protect children and the right to own a home and prevent violence in schools and society. The campaign has raised international day for human rights in schools, great enthusiasm and encouraged the teachers to pay attention to the principles of human rights and reflected broad participation in schools and in the preparation of films and plays, condemning torture and calling for human rights, aid and some were heard for the first time by the way. After this extensive campaign actors and activities that took place in schools, send a message to the center of the tents and the Minister of Education, where thanks to issue a circular on the World Day of Human Rights was to propose the following: - To be the World Day of Human Rights an annual event celebrating the schools, universities and high schools, and professionals by doing different activities. - Integrate the principles of human rights in the educational programs - View graphics drawn by the children and students in the gallery in 2012 and to provide incentive awards. - Reconstruction of the play carried out by the school students' Ali ibn Abi asked about violence in schools is different. - That there will be more preparation prior to this and with the participation of associations and organizations interested. - Issue a pamphlet activities carried out by the Centre on this occasion in 2012, includes graphics students. Invitation to a dialogue on the issue of missing persons in the World Day Against Enforced Disappearance: On the occasion of August 30 International Day against forced disappearances, the center organize a sit-in in front of the International Red Cross, the mothers of the missing in Beirut meeting was attended by representatives of the Red Cross. And read a memorandum which stated: Enforced disappearance a crime against human dignity and the flagrant violation of human rights and the right to life and personal safety. On this day, the center calls upon the following: 1 - set a timetable and a practical mechanism to implement the recommendations approved by the Lebanon before the Human Rights Council in Geneva in March 2011, namely: • Establish an independent national body to investigate the fate of missing persons. • Adoption of a process to identify the victims through DNA database and digging graves. • Ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. 2 - The formal and public apology from the state and political groups on enforced disappearances. 3 - Proper Lebanese laws with international treaties and conventions on human rights. 4 - The criminalization of impunity and punish perpetrators of crimes of kidnapping, detention and torture. 5 - Prepare a comprehensive list of the names of victims of enforced disappearance and published. 6 - restitution of individual and collective, social reintegration and rehabilitation of health and social recovery of victims of enforced disappearance and their families. 7 - Set April 13 as a day of memory. 8 - Open a global and comprehensibe dialogue on the issue of missing persons as a national issue and humanitarian work for the radical treatment of this issue through the formation of the Truth and fairness as a national institution as was the case in South Africa, Morocco and other countries. On August 30, we renew our call to uncover the fate of all missing Lebanese and non-Lebanese in Israeli prisons and the Syrian or who have lost during the civil war. We call on this occasion to reveal the fate of Imam Musa Alsdr and his companions and the missing Lebanese in Iraq. On this occasion, we can’t but to applaud to the great humanitarian role of the International Committee of the Red Cross to pay attention to this humanitarian issue and follow-up of social and psychological effects on the mothers of the missing. Commission for Truth and Equity Also been sent a memorandum to the Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati included the following: At the World Day against the enforced disappearance of your state hope to raise this issue in the Cabinet, demanding the following: 1 -A practical mechanism to implement the recommendations approved by the Lebanon before the Human Rights Council in March 2011. 2 - To form a truth commission and equity participation of official institutions, associations and families of missing and along the lines of what happened in South Africa, Morocco and other countries .. for the radical treatment of this issue. 3 - To invite the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances in the United Nations for a visit to Lebanon to discuss the missing file, wherever they are with the Lebanese government. 4 - A call from your state on this occasion in solidarity with the families of missing people in their struggle for the fate of their children. International activities and local communities participated in the Center: • Conference of the Union of the peoples against imperialism The Secretary General of Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture, Mohammed Safa, in the conference on the 11th of International Union of peoples against imperialism invited the People in Turkey from 27 February until February 28, 2011. Parties participated in the conference and the Arab and international organizations have dominated the conference storm developments in Egypt, Tunisia and other Arab countries and the issue of isolation prisons in Turkey and the world and how to unify efforts to address revolutionary imperialism and aggression. Description talked about the experience of Lebanon on the issue of two detainees and made suggestions for the development of the global campaign in solidarity with political prisoners in the prisons of isolation in Palestine and the Arab prisons and confirmed that we are witnessing a revolutionary new phase will include the whole world. • The Universal Periodic Review on the report of Lebanon sixteenth session of the Human Rights Council: The Secretary General of the Centre in the sixteenth session of the Human Rights Council at United Nations Headquarters in Geneva from February 28, 2011 and until 25 March 2011, a continuation of our participation in the past years, and the Centre's role at the international level in defense of human rights replique breitling and the issues of detainees and missing persons and against torture. In this session, the Centre provided three documents received by the Secretary General of the United Nations and distributed to participating countries and organizations, and adopted as official documents in the session . And can be obtained at the following location: (Http / / www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcounsil/16session/documentation.htm) The first document, entitled "Situation of human rights in Lebanon," issued under the fourth item on human rights in general. (22/2/2011 A/HRC/16/NGO/7) And the second for the suffering of the Lebanese prisons and prisoners, have also been issued under the fourth item on human rights in general. (17/2/2011 A/HRC/16/NGO/3) And the third on the situation of Palestinian and Arab detainees in Israeli prisons, issued under the seventh item on the situation in the Arab countries under Israeli occupation. (22/2/2011 A/HRC/16/NGO/4) Statement of Khiam Center in the Human Rights Council: During the session of universal periodic review of the report of Lebanon on 17 March 2011 gave the Secretary General of the center, Mohammed Safa speech included the following: That show off the report of the Lebanon as sectarian consensus in governance and account representative and this formula is the source of |