Jordan Times
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Detainees' judicial proceedings need to be speeded up NCHR official
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN A local human rights centre said on Tuesday there was an urgent need to review the slow judicial proceedings of hundreds of individuals who are spending long periods in prison awaiting trial.Our preliminary observations of prison conditions indicated that there are hundreds of inmates, many detained administratively, who are spending long periods at correctional facilities awaiting trial, said Walid Sadi, commissioner general of the National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR).
There are many individuals at correctional facilities who have spent over seven months waiting their turn for a court session, while their charge is less than the period they are spending awaiting trial, he added.
It is high time a follow-up committee is formed to examine each individual's case separately and make recommendations to the government, Sadi told The Jordan Times.
We are hoping the government will take a decision, based on the committee's recommendations, to speed up the slow judicial proceedings for these people, he added
Sadi said NCHR delegations visited five correctional and rehabilitation facilities in Berin, Balqa, Jweideh, Swaqa, and Qafqafa.
We plan to visit other facilities in Maan and Karak within the next few days as part of our mission, Sadi explained.
Describing the facilities' conditions as satisfactory, Sadi said they could be improved in the near future.
We met some inmates and they had no complaints in terms of mistreatment, and food and other services are good and up to international human rights standards, he said.
The only problem is that Jweideh Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre is overcrowded and we alerted officials about this fact, the commissioner general added.
During a visit to the NCHR in October 2003, Her Majesty Queen Rania told board members that the centre's establishment was in line with His Majesty King Abdullah's vision in promoting the principles of human rights and safeguarding civil liberties.
Established in 2001, the centre aims to ensure the right policy environment to support the development of family protection, and identify and implement mechanisms for increased coordination between public institutions and civil society organisations working in the field of family affairs.
It also collects data and information, monitors and shares information on the well-being of children and families, and contributes to policy development.