There is a greater need to educate the police and prison officers to respect and adopt human rights practices
IN our last issue of 2007 Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly declared 2008 as the HUMAN RIGHTS YEAR!
In fact this newspaper has kept the Human Rights issue at the top of its and the country's agenda for the last few years. We felt that there was a great need in the country to educate the people on their human rights and civil liberties. However there is a greater need to educate the police and prison officers to respect and adopt human rights practices.
Now that everyone seems to be beating at the Human Rights drums with the opening of a two-weeks workshop at the Police Academy last week, let us hope that the issue is not totally forgotten and pushed under the table as soon as the workshop is over and the European Union and the United Nation representatives have left the country. Just like what happened to Judge Michael Reilly's report on the events of the 3 October, 2006. We reproduced here his recommendations on the issue (Human Rights). We hope that the on-going two-weeks workshop has taken Judge Reilly's report into consideration. If they haven't poor old Judge Reilly wasted his time and a lot of our money a good part of it in foreign exchange.
REPORT OF THE INQUIRY INTO THE EVENTS IN VICTORIA ON 3 OCTOBER, 2006.
PRESIDING JUDGE: JUDGE MICHAEL REILLY
October, 2007
Recommendation:-
An independent Commission (Human Rights Commission) should be established. The Commission should consist of a chairperson and six other members. The members should be appointed by the President and the membership should contain representatives of the different political views in the Seychelles as well as recognised experts in the field of law and human rights. The Commission should be funded by the Government and recruit its own staff. The Commission should be given wide powers in law to develop human rights programmes and to monitor their implementation, including how they are implemented by the Police. It should have as a minimum the following three main functions:
- to keep under review the adequacy and effectiveness of law and practice in the Seychelles relating to the protection of human rights: priority should be given to an examination of the Public Order Act;
- to make recommendations to Government on measures to strengthen, protect and uphold human rights in the Seychelles;
- to promote understanding and awareness of the importance of human rights and, for these purposes, to undertake or sponsor research and educational activities in the field of human rights.
Recommendation:-
The Commission should prepare an annual report on its activities for the preceding year and submit it to the President. The President should, as soon as practicable, lay the report before the Assembly for the purpose of facilitating a debate on the report. Not later than three years following its establishment the Commission should report to the President setting out recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the Commission. This report should also be laid before the Assembly for the purpose of debate.
Recommendation:-
All police officers should be trained (and updated as required) in the fundamental principles and standards of human rights and the practical implications for policing: human rights dimensions should be integrated into every aspect of police training. Preferably the training should be conducted by experts from outside the Police Force, with a background in human rights.
Recommendation:-
A new Code of Ethics should be put in place which would, incorporate internationally accepted principles and standards of human rights into police practice.
Recommendation:-
It should be a requirement for career advancement in the Police Force that officers have demonstrated a genuine respect for human rights.
Recommendation:-
The performance of the Police Force as a whole should be monitored either by the Human Rights Commission or the Policing Board when set up.
Recommendation:-
The Government should encourage debate on human rights issues, or at a minimum facilitate such debate; the purpose being to foster a culture, not least in the Police Force, of respect for human rights.