By Precious D. Freeman
The Rural Human Rights Activists Program (RHRAP) has promised to empower inmates in order for them to understand their rights, despite being in prison.
Speaking yesterday at its office, the Executive Director for RHRAP, Lorma Baysah, explained that the program will continue to provide legal representations for prolonged pre-trial detainees, provide awareness for inmates to understand their rights, including the right to lawyers, to communicate with their lawyers and family members, amongst others, as provided for by the Nelson Mandala Rules on Prisons.
According to him, as they (RHRAP and SHED) have done in the past with other counties like Bong, Margibi, and Nimba, the program will provide the Grand Cape Mount Prison with desk phone and provide refill cards for the next 3 years, so that inmates will have the opportunity to communicate with the outside world, as it is monitored by prison authorities.
He added that RHRAP and SHED will continue to reduce recidivism by providing training in tailoring, soap making, vegetable productions, amongst others, that will empower inmates to generate income to support their livelihoods when they are out of prison.
Director Baysah stated that, for those that will remain in prison because of life sentences, the program is gradually moving towards making the prisons industrial, where inmates will be producing varieties of clothes, including uniforms, that will be sold to the market and proceeds used to benefit the inmates that are producing the materials.
“This will be done in line with the Nelson Mandela Rules on Prisons. For the next three years (2024 – 2026), RHRAP and SHED are implementing the second phase of the project, “Strengthening Democracy and Respect for Fundamental Human Rights of Prisoners in Liberia”, which is funded by the European Union (EU),” he said.
He noted that the implementation of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) of Liberia remains one of the major challenges to the protection and promotion of fundamental human rights for the restoration of genuine democracy in Liberia.
“To contribute to addressing some of the major challenges, the Rural Human Rights Activist Program, and Serving Humanity, Education and Development (SHED), are engaged in a series of activities that complement the national government’s efforts in the full implementation of the CJS,” he said.
Baysah continued that on March 22-23, and March 29-30, RHRAP, in collaboration with SHED, organized a two-day training each for 60 Police and Correction Officers in Nimba and Grand Cape Mount Counties.
“The training has enhanced their knowledge on how to promote Human Rights Perspective in Policing and Corrections. For the past 7 years, RHRAP and SHED have been providing support to the Police, the prisons, and communities in the promotion of fundamental human rights and the rule of law, with funding from the European Union (EU),” he added.
He furthered that, as they did over the past seven years, the project lead will also be providing training for Religious, Traditional and Community Leaders on the Criminal Justice Highways, starting from arrests-court-detention/prisons and parole, helping community residents to contribute to the full implementation of the rule of law that promotes and protects the fundamental human rights of community residents.
