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Mr Prime Minister,
Mr Secretary and the Respectable Members of National Consultative Commission of Human Rights
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the Society for Defending Prisoners’ Rights and myself I would like to express my gratitude and honour for receiving National Consultative Commission of Human Rights’ award. I do hope that through expanding our activities and cooperation we prove to deserve your goodwill and respect.
Since I was released from the prison three years ago I set two tasks for myself to be fulfilled in the coming years. The first was to establish the Society for Defending Prisoners’ Rights, which was accomplished with the help and sincere aid of several socio-political activists, journalists and legal practitioners. This society deals with the cases and issues of all prisoners regardless of their charges and terms of sentences, whether they are political or apolitical prisoners. We have succeeded significantly in this relatively short period of our activity and therefore I believe we are prepared to tackle our next objective, which is to institute an association to combat capital punishment and death penalty. This association, named Defenders of the Right to Life, has gathered several scholars, social and legal figures together and has already taken initial steps, hoping to see noticeable achievements in near future.
A Proposal for Establishing “The International Day of Prisoners’ Rights”
I would also like to take this opportunity and put forward an idea, which I believe would draw attentions to prisoners’ rights and would be an effectual course of action in promoting human rights.
There are currently various national and international days and occasions to memorialize issues such as Human Rights, Freedom of the Press, combating HIV/AIDS and supporting their victims, etc. Nevertheless there is no such commemoration for prisoners. Prisons and prisoners are the issues that have much older history than many other problems and concerns. In all societies, prisons and prisoners and how they are being dealt with are among the major human rights’ issues. The way prisoners are conducted is a clear indicator of observance and/or violation of human rights.
Dedicating a special day to prisoners’ rights would have the following advantages:
1. Raising public awareness on the issue of prisoners’ rights through the media on a specific day at a global scale. Experience shows that institutions and media working on a special theme are able to mobilize resources much further on a specific day named after their cause.
2. Awards can be donated to books, artistic products, institutions and NGOs reflecting on the subject of prisoners’ rights.
3. Attentions could be focused on the prison staffs and guards, as the people who are in direct contact with prisoners, on this day. Simply punishing and rebuking prison staff would by no means encourage them to observe prisoners’ rights. Furthermore, promoting the concepts of human rights and prisoners’ rights could not do the trick on its own. Prison staff should be highlighted on that day as the most influential and prime agent in fulfilling the rights of prisoners through encouragements. Accordingly, the prison staff members who are reported by prisoners and human rights institutions and individuals as those having worked appropriately to observe prisoners’ rights and promote human dignity can be awarded on the International Day for Prisoners’ Rights.
National Consultative Commission of Human Rights and the French government can propose this idea at an international level. I myself suggest 5th of March as on this day in 1897 one the most prominent social and political activists and one of the first supporters of human rights in its modern sense in the region, Seyed Jamalodin Assadabadi, was killed in the Ottoman prison, deprived of all his legal and human rights.
Once again I appreciate all your efforts and concerns and hope that this occasion and award would pave the way for more fruitful actions and endeavors in respecting the rights and dignities of all the human beings throughout the world.
Emadedin Baghi
عمادالدین باقی
