Ramallah, December the 10th 2019 – The exchange of best practices and training activities between the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and Palestinian Institutions to improve living conditions in prisons is ongoing and shows good results. A new mission of the Guarantor of the rights of detainees and people without personal freedom and the Antigone Association has just ended, following the training session held last March in Ramallah.
The delegation, accompanied by the Representative of AICS Jerusalem, Ms. Cristina Natoli, was able to visit detention and rehabilitation centers of detainees in Nablus and Jericho, as well as to meet the Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammad Shalaldeh, the Public Prosecutor, Mr. Akram Al Khateeb and the Jericho Governor, Mr. Jihad Abu Al-Asal. During the meetings, the Palestinian authorities reiterated their wish to continue working with the Guarantor and Antigone and to take short-term measures to improve the conditions of the detainees. The Minister of Justice has furthermore shown willingness to implement a guarantee system in this regard, with the support of Italian and Palestinian civil society organizations.
The mission ended with a day of training for officials of the Prosecutor’s Office and of the Ministry of Justice and Palestinian judges. During the training, the delegation presented best practices characterizing the Italian detention system, but also internationally and locally recognized principles and methodologies for monitoring prisons, with exercises and recommendations to improve procedures in Palestine.
“The exchange and collaboration between countries to improve the level of protection of the rights of people deprived of freedom are essential tools to achieve full respect for all, in any condition and in place“, said Daniela de Robert, Representative of the Guarantor, while Patrizio Gonnella for Antigone pointed out that “direct observation of prisons is the best way to start processes of improving the conditions of detention“.
This mission was implemented in the framework of the project “Karama: Towards a System that Respects human rights and Dignity”, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in Jerusalem, following the visit of the officials of the Palestinian Ministry of Justice to Italy in November 2014 concerning “Human Rights and Prison Organization”, and component of a program for the promotion and respect of human rights in Palestine.