FECAS - ECSVS Forum

‘Prison conditions good in Seychelles’

24-October-2014
Prisons all over the world house people created by God to do great things for His kingdom, but who have somehow lost their way.

Not because prisoners have done something wrong that they should be locked up in appalling conditions, said Brad Senekal, African Outreach director of Hand of Hope – Joyce Meyer Ministries, who is impressed with the prison conditions here.

“To be honest the conditions the inmates experience while being locked up in the prison in Seychelles are better than I expected; it certainly is good from a regional perspective. It seems the team, staff and leadership of the prison are currently involved in a lot of projects, have a lot of good plans, and the thinking is very progressive,” Mr Senekal told Sports Nation in a recent interview.

“I was also impressed with the prison greening programme, agriculture programmes in place, the amount of infrastructural and programmatic development going on in the prison system. Most exciting for me is the work of the prison chaplain, Father Brian Volcère. I cannot speak highly enough of his integrity and commitment to helping the inmates to a place of total transformation.

“The counselling programme that is going on is very good, especially the restorative justice programme which is still in its early stages. There is also the desire to rehabilitate, reintegrate and reunite inmates with families. Religion is also playing a key part of this process, as a spiritually mature individual can overcome the pressure to resort to being bitter, harboring unforgiveness, hopelessness and also decide not to return to their same old ways that brought them into prison in the first place,” explained Mr Senekal.

Asked to compare the conditions in prisons here with prisons in Africa and Europe, Mr Senekal replied: “The condition in many prisons in Africa is appalling. Often there is a lack of food and humanitarian violence abound. Although there are still some challenges in the prison here, I wish I could show prisoners in Seychelles how good their conditions are compared to some other countries in the region. Unfortunately, I do not have any personal experience of prisons in Europe and other parts of the world.”

Mr Senekal who works in the Joyce Meyer Ministries Cape Town office in South Africa, the regional office for Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, explained that among the challenges faced by the prison in Seychelles are keeping order, trying to make sure people take part in programmes that are available to them, and sometimes prisoners make certain demands that are not reasonable.

“I was able to personally shake the hands of about 600 prisoners, give them a small gift, a hygiene bag, a Joyce Meyer book in French and copies of the same book translated in Somali were given to the Somali prisoners and a letter from my ministry. The Somalis were surprisingly positive about their experience in the system and I spoke to recovering drug addicts who were deeply encouraged by the messages we brought. We were able to share our testimony and remind the inmates that God loves them, that there are people outside the country who love them and are praying for them. We helped them realise that they are not alone. Very often society can look down on prisoners, can treat them as bad people, but sometimes those people have made the decisions because they come from a broken family or have not had a father in their lives, have not had good values when they were being raised. So we should not always be so quick to judge people. We’ve encouraged prisoners to think that there are people who do not judge them, people who love them and that God still loves them,” explained Mr Senekal.

Hand of Hope is the outreach mission arm of Joyce Meyer ministries and its mission is to help hurting people, to alleviate human suffering, and help Christians grow in their faith.

Mr Senekal added that they travel to different parts of the world and not only tell people about God’s love, but actually show them.
Born Pauline Joyce Hutchison, Joyce Meyer is a charismatic Christian author and speaker. She has TV and radio shows broadcasted to two-thirds of the planet in over 70 different languages. Mrs Meyer has written over 100 books which have been translated into well over 100 languages.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=243413

Minister Morgan pleased with outcome of anti-piracy conference in Dubai

06-November-2014


The Minister for Home Affairs and Transport, Joël Morgan, has returned to the Seychelles with his delegation following successful meetings at the just completed anti-piracy conference in Dubai, UAE.

The meeting, under the theme ‘Security state recovery: Sustaining momentum at sea, confronting instability on land’, was held from October 27-30.

The events in Dubai were in two parts with meetings starting on October 27 for members of the Contact Group for Piracy off the coast of Somalia (CGPS), and working group 3, which Seychelles co- chairs. This was followed by the anti-piracy conference itself which started on October 29. The working Group 3 meetings were chaired by Seychelles’ ambassador to the UAE, Dick Esparon.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=243546

Minister Bastienne visits Montagne Posée prison

12-February-2015
Just over a week in office, the new Minister for Home Affairs, Charles Bastienne, has had his second visit to one of the institutions falling under his ministry, the Montagne Posée prison.

He was accompanied by the superintendent of prisons Maxime Tirant, and other staff of the prison.

“This is my first visit to the Montagne Posée prison and I wanted to familiarise myself with the facility and the management. I also wanted to be aware of the developments and challenges within the prison facilities. After meeting with the senior management of the prison, I am in a better position to set my goals for the short, medium and long terms. Our biggest challenge and that need to be tackled immediately is the shortage of staff. I will spare no time to tackle this major issue. The prison has come a long way, however there is much more to be done and to achieve,” noted the minister.

A powerpoint presentation on the history, development and functioning of the prison was made at the beginning of the visit.

Currently there are 765 prisoners in Seychelles out of whom 611 (including 36 Somalis) are at the Montagne Posée prison. Thirty-six convicts are on Coetivy and 98 are on Marie-Louise. Minister Bastienne seized the opportunity to ask a few details about the involvement of the convicts in the various programmes available at the prison. Supt. Tirant said the inmates do not take part as much as they would like them to.

“This year we had three inmates who succeeded in an IGCSE English exam and we hope this will encourage others to take part in the activities. We will try our best to reactivate all programmes,” he said.

He also mentioned that during the last few years, all efforts were made for the prison in Seychelles to attain the standard required by the United Nations.
“We are happy that we have been able to achieve this level,” noted the superintendent.

He noted that several projects are ongoing to improve the facilities. These include the extension of the female prison, the renovation of the male block (phase 2), construction of the Praslin juvenile centre, upgrading of the jamming system, video conference system between prison and court, video conference between the three prisons, construction of a search room and creation of the prison’s website.

Upon receiving funding, the prison services will engage in the following projects: intensive recruitment, fencing of prison perimeter, extension of the carpentry and mechanical workshops, construction of facilities for staff training, staff office space, unit for Nepalese officer, and a multi-faith room.
To make the prison function properly, there are various organisations who give a helping hand such as Partners of Prison, Sustainability for Seychelles, Yi-King Seychelles, Friends of Prison and UNODC.

Minister Bastienne spent several hours visiting the prison facilities and took notes on the most important needs of the management and inmates.

“I urge the families to understand that the prison is a place where after committing an offence, the person comes to purge his/her sentence and gets rehabilitated to go back to the society. For the last three years, UNODC is collaborating with us to do a rehabilitation programme and we would like the inmates to go through that programme. The government and I give our full support in making the prison a place where we are successful in rehabilitating people and preventing them from repeating the same mistakes,” noted the minister.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=244489

Nine Somalis convicted of piracy by the Supreme Court

20-March-2015
Nine Somalis, including one minor, have been found guilty on three different counts of piracy by the Seychelles Supreme Court.

The nine men were being accused of committing an act of piracy on the high seas against a Hong-Kong flagged vessel M/V Zhongji No. 1 on November 6, 2013 and against a Danish Ship M/V Torm Kansas on November 9, 2013 as well as for making use of a whaler as a pirate ship.

The suspected pirates were handed over to the Seychelles authorities on November 30, 2013 by Danish Navy ship, HDMS Esbern Snare.

According to reports, the nine men were arrested on the high seas, in the Gulf of Aden, on November 10 after they had attempted to hijack another Danish Ship M/V Torm Kansas.

An article published by maritime website Oceanuslive.org said the crew managed to repel the attacks and solicited backup. HDMS Esbern Snare, which was engaged in the regional anti-piracy Nato Operations came to the rescue, which ended with the arrest of the suspected pirates.

“After the capture of the suspected pirates, a whaler being used as mother ship by the suspects was destroyed. However, the skiff, from which they use to actually carry out their attacks, was seized for the purpose of investigation,” read the article.

It was also reported that the same nine suspects, thought to be aged between 14 and 35 years of age, had also tried to attack a chemical tanker, the Hong Kong-flagged M/V Zhongji No. 1, four days before, on November 6, but that armed security personnel on board had retaliated and repelled the attack.

Delivering his judgment last Friday, Seychelles Supreme Court Judge, Sri Lankan national Mohan Niranjit Burhan, rejected the defence's argument that the nine accused were merely fishermen.

“…there was no fishing equipment or deep freeze on board the whaler to indicate that the accused were genuine fishermen,” said Burhan in his deliberation.

The judge also rejected the accused's claims that they had been detained and tried by the state of Denmark for an act of piracy against the Danish vessel, after which they were allegedly released and promised compensation.

The prosecution had submitted to the Supreme Court that although the state of Denmark had the right to try the suspected pirates, if they did not wish to do so, they could approach a regional state to prosecute the nine, which led the case to be tried in the Seychelles' UN-funded anti-piracy court, as has been the case with every case prosecuted in the archipelago.

According to Judge Burhan's judgement, he agreed with this argument, citing the precedence of the concept of universal jurisdiction, which allows states or international organisations to claim criminal jurisdiction over an accused person regardless of where the alleged crime was committed, and regardless of the accused's nationality, country of residence, or any other relation with the prosecuting entity.

All three counts of piracy for which they were charged carry a maximum prison sentence of 30 years and a fine of almost US $75,000.

However, after finding the accused guilty of piracy, Judge Burhan sentenced the eight adults to 14 years in prison on all three counts while the juvenile was given a three-year sentence on each count of piracy. Burhan ruled that the sentences would run concurrently and that the time they had already spent in detention would be deducted from their sentences.

Judge Burhan told the Seychelles News Agency (SNA) that the Supreme Court had sought the expert opinion of forensic analysts from Sri Lanka to confirm claims made by several of the nine accused that they were under 18.

“Forensic analysis proved that only one, the first accused, was in fact a juvenile and this was accepted by both the defence and prosecution,” said Judge Burhan.

The judge also informed SNA that this was the first piracy trial where the Seychelles court had heard evidence through video links from three witnesses; the master, team leader and security officer of the Danish ship M/V Torm Kansas.

According to the Seychelles Prison Services, to date, 114 Somali pirates have been repatriated to Somalia, which include the three who were acquitted in December last year by the Seychelles Court of Appeal.

Most of the other 111 Somalis who have been sent back to their homeland are serving sentences imposed on them for piracy acts committed either at the Garowe (Puntland) and Hargeysa (Somaliland) prisons.

These are two detention facilities built by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), as part of its Piracy Prisoner Transfer Programme.

According to statistics provided to SNA by the Seychelles Prison Service, a total of 33 Somali pirates are still being held at the Seychelles Prison at Montagne Posée prison, where they are kept separate from the local prisoners.

Following the latest conviction out of this number, 28 Somali pirates have already been sentenced and the remaining five are still on remand awaiting trial.

Seychelles News Agency

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=244850

Piraterie : la COI envisage un centre de fusion de l’information à Madagascar


La COI a tenu une réunion sur la sécurité maritime ce mardi 31 mars au Gold Crest Hotel, à Quatre-Bornes, en présence de représentants de la Somalie et d’autres organisations régionales.
Par La Rédaction
31 Mars 2015
Les cas de piraterie ou de prises d’otages ont diminué au cours des dernières années. Mais, cette situation est «réversible», estime Jean-Claude de l’Estrac, secrétaire Générale de la Commission de l’Océan Indien (COI). Raison pour laquelle la COI fait de la piraterie son cheval de bataille. Une réunion a eu lieu au Gold Crest Hotel, à Quatre-Bornes, pour en débattre ce mardi 31 mars en présence de représentants de la Somalie et d’autres organisations régionales.

«Nous ne sommes pas à l’abri, voilà pourquoi il ne faut pas relâcher nos efforts», a fait ressortir Jean-Claude de l’Estrac. Et d’ajouter que ce sont d’autres délits avant-gardistes qui menacent aujourd’hui la région. Il a cité la pêche illégale, la pollution marine ou encore les financements illicites.
Investissement de Rs 1 milliards

Pour combattre ces fléaux, la COI a décidé de mettre en place un centre régional de fusion de l’information et un centre d’opérationnalisation de projets en mer. Ces initiatives font partie du programme de promotion de la sécurité maritime (MASE) de la COI et qui est financé par l’Union européenne. Une somme de 37,5 millions d’euros, soit Rs 1 milliard, y a été investie.

Pour l’heure, la COI envisage de construire le centre de fusion à Madagascar et le centre d’opérationnalisation aux Seychelles. Une décision finale sera prise en mai lors du conseil des ministres de la COI.

http://www.lexpress.mu/article/260558/p ... madagascar

Supreme Court annexe at Ile du Port officially opens

The Supreme Court annexe building which will be served mostly to hear piracy and maritime crime cases was officially opened yesterday afternoon.

The two-storey ultra-modern court complex has been donated to the people of Seychelles by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

It has been funded by the government of the United Kingdom, the Royal government of the Netherlands and the Trust Fund of the Contact group on Piracy.
The foundation stone for the construction of the complex was laid in August 2013.

The new complex comprises two large courtrooms, two judges’ chambers, registrar’s room, purpose built holding cells for detainees, witness waiting areas, lawyers’ meeting rooms among other facilities.

Its special architectural design with Greek columns nicely blends with the architectural design of the Palais de Justice.

Acting Chief Justice Durai Karunakaran unveiled the plaque and cut the ribbons to officially open the complex. Before that he had received the keys to the building from British High Commissioner Lindsay Skoll and UNODC regional representative for Eastern Africa José Vila del Castillo.

Present to witness the event was Vice-President Danny Faure, various ministers, the Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Patrick Herminie, members of the diplomatic corps, other distinguished guests, judges, lawyers and other members of the judicial profession as well as staff of the judiciary.

Addressing guests prior to the opening of the building Justice Karunakaran, on behalf of the government, the judiciary and people of Seychelles expressed deep gratitude to the different foreign donors and partners for their unwavering support and for generously funding the project.

“The opening of the Supreme Court annexe marks the culmination of steps taken over the past five years to establish Seychelles as a unique and leading jurisdiction for combating piracy in the region,” Justice Karunakaran said.

But Justice Karunakaran stressed that the new facility is an extension to the Palais de Justice, the centre of judicial excellence in terms of infrastructure and technology.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=245057