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January 98 – July 98 – January 99 – April 99 – September 99 August 00 – November 00 – September 01 – November 01 June 02 – February 03 – April 04 – February 05 – Current
July 2003 |
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- Decategorisation - UNISON supports Samar and Jawad at its annual conference!
DECATEGORISATION Jawad has been decategorised to Category C. Jawad spent 1995-2000 as a high risk Category A prisoner, and from February 2000 to April 2003, he was Category B. This is a good development as it will initially ease the way to town visits, and eventually to further decategorisation and parole. The parole process itself normally starts half way through the sentence or closely thereafter. However, there are many cases of people being denied decategorisation or parole because they protest their innocence. Most prisoners can expect to move gradually to more open conditions and a lower risk category (a ‘normal progression’) as they serve their sentence. Women prisoners normally move directly from Category B to semi-open or open establishments. However, Samar, despite having followed the same path as Jawad, has been told by her prison that there is no decategorisation for her at present. Both her current and previous prisons have failed to properly assess her status, and to follow their own procedures for assessing risk and progress. After over 10 months at HMP Send, she was told that the prison is still unable to make its mind up because they don't know her. The prison is not too sure either as to what is required for her to do to tilt the balance, although there was a vague reference to a need for her to be assessed for risk, and to go on a 'Rehabilitation and Reasoning' course in October 2003. Yet, Samar is "Send enhanced", i.e. at the top of earned privileges based on assessment of behaviour. This confirms that she has long been a model prisoner, complied with everything required and more, and never gave cause for concern in terms of risk of absconding or otherwise posing a danger. Therefore, it is impossible for Samar to improve beyond her current attitude and behaviour. Clearly, the prison is only looking at Samar by virtue of the offence with which she was charged. Samar is currently studying the options with her legal team, including an appeal to the prison service headquarters and judicial review. We are unable to comment any further at this stage. But this episode is a bitter reminder of what Samar and Jawad have been enduring over and above being wrongly accused, charged and imprisoned. Without your support, they would still be stuck in Category A conditions. Thanks to your support, their prison lives benefited enormously from the previous decategorisation, if only for their improved contact with the outside world, and the cessation of the strip-searches. UNISON TO SUPPORT SAMAR and JAWAD At its Annual Conference in Brighton on 20 June 2003, UNISON, the Public Services Union (1.3 million members), voted with an overwhelming majority in favour of Motion 81. Motion 81 notes Samar and Jawad's case, the grave breaches of human rights, the problems with disclosure and PIIs, and the 'human errors', and engages UNISON in support of the Campaign to help Samar and Jawad to secure justice. While for the last two years, Wolverhampton and the West Midlands Branches worked tirelessly to build support, the interest, concern, and support for the case is now widespread across all 13 regions, self-organised groups, and the National Executive. This victory is not only a milestone for the Campaign, but also another vindication for Samar and Jawad. It will be a great moral and practical boost to the Campaign, and for Samar and Jawad, who have now spent 2,390 days and nights behind bars since their wrongful conviction in 1996.
EXHIBITION OF JAWAD'S PAINTINGS & SPEAKERS’ TOUR ON PALESTINIAN PRISONERS IN ISRAELI JAILS The Campaign is currently organising an Exhibition of Jawad's paintings to be held from 1-7 December 2003 at the Kufa Gallery in London. This is being combined with a speaker's tour, also organised by the Campaign, in partnership with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), to highlight the situation of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails. Samar and Jawad are keen that the exhibition should be used to highlight the terrible plight of Palestinian political prisoners being held in Israeli jails, who are often forgotten by the world's media and who also are held unjustly, without basic rights and many without charges being brought against them. According to ADDAMEER, 15,000 Palestinians have been arrested by the Israeli authorities since 28 September 2000. There are approximately 5000 Palestinian and Arab prisoners currently in Israeli prisons and detention centers (see www.addameer.org). In a press release on 26 June 2003 to mark the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Palestine section of Defence for Children International highlighted that Palestinian child arrest figures now top 2000 since the beginning of the 2nd Intifada in 2000 (see www.dci-pal.org). DONATIONS REQUIRED URGENTLY The Campaign is currently raising funds for this project. We are asking each sponsor to make a donation of £10-£20, if possible, to cover the costs of the exhibition as well as the political prisoners speakers’ tour. As we are in the process of finalising arrangements, we would be very grateful if you can please send your donation to us as soon as possible. OTHER NEWS Amnesty International Voices Concern Over the Safety of Samar and Jawad Convictions in its Annual Report: ‘In November the House of Lords refused to grant Samar Alami and Jawad Botmeh leave to appeal against their conviction and sentencing. They had been sentenced in 1996 to 20 years' imprisonment after being convicted of conspiracy to cause explosions in 1994 at the Israeli Embassy and Balfour House in London. AI believes their convictions were unsafe and that they were denied their right to a fair trial.’ The actual report can be read at: http://web.amnesty.org/report2003/index-eng EDM 202 The Early Day Motion at the Houses of Parliament about Samar and Jawad has attracted 43 signatories from MPs. If you haven't contacted your MP to sign it, please do so. The Petition We have already secured 3,029 new signatories since last October. The petition will be presented to the Home Office and CPS when a campaign delegation is organised. So get those forms signed and returned please!
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