INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND TRAINING “PROBLEMS OF THE PENITENTIARY SYSTEM REFORMS IN RUSSIA, EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, AND THE UNITED STATES”

5th Ural International Human Rights School will be hosted in Yekaterinburg 13-18 April 2015 as a set of events including a conference, seminars, master classes, work in small groups, and the model court.

20th ANNIVERSARY OF SUTYAJNIK

If you or your organisation are involved in the reform of the penitentiary system, teach law, advocate incarcerated persons, take part in the public monitoring of places of detention – this event is for you. The participation in the conference is open to everyone. A competition will be conducted to select participants for the training. Some of the seminars and master classes will be free to attend by anyone wishing to do so; the list of these will be announced separately.

International Conference “PROBLEMS OF THE PENITENTIARY SYSTEM REFORMS IN RUSSIA, EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, AND THE UNITED STATES”.

Among foreign speaker there will be

1. Francoise Tulkens, retired Vice-President and Judge of the European Court of Human Rights (Belgium, France). Speaking on the subject of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights which Resulted in Reforms of Penitentiary Systems in European Countries.

2. Andrey Esin, Human Rights Project Manager, Council of Europe. Speaking on the subject of the Council of Europe Standards on the Treatment of Prisoners: the Conditions under which Prisoners are Held, Healthcare in Places of Detention.

3. Damien Scalia, Swiss National Science Foundation and at the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Deviance and Penalty (Universite catholique de Louvain, Belgium). Subject – the System of the UN Agencies for the Protection of Prisoners' Rights.

4. Simon Creighton, lawyer, partner at a law firm specializing on the protection of prisoners’ rights (UK). Speaking on the subject of the Role of the ECtHR in the Promotion of the Right for Early/Conditional Release and the Right to Life in Detention: the UK Experience.

5. Deborah Coles, Co-Director at INQUEST Charitable Trust. Speaking on the subject of Deaths in Custody: the Role of Family, Care for Prisoners, Suicide Prevention, Healthcare.

6. Hugues de Suremain, lawyer at the Paris Bar specializing in the protection of prisoners’ rights. Speaking on the subject of the Role of ECtHR in the Development of the Prison Law in France – Solitary Confinement, Body Search, Transfers due to Security Considerations, Application of Special Force and Means

7. Professor Leonard Hammer, Hebrew University (Israel). Speaking on the subject of the Privatisation of Prisons in Israel.

8. Professor Bill Bowring, Director LLM/MA Human Rights, School of Law, Birkbeck Gollege, University of London, barrister. Speaking on the subject of the Penitentiary System Reform in Georgia.

THE LIST OF PEOPLE SPEAKING AT THE CONFERENCE IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE AND IS UPDATED.

The detailed programme will be published on the website http://goo.gl/IDmYL0. To register for the participation in the Conference you have to fill out a short form here http://goo.gl/756WEa

Following the Conference from 15 to 18 of April an interactive training will take place on the subject of the Protection of Prisoners’ Rights; the training will include seminars, master classes, and moot case studies in small groups. The training will be conducted by the abovementioned conference speakers as well Russian experts in the following fields:

1. Prisoners’ Living Conditions.

2. Abuse of Security Measures.

3. Healthcare in Places of Detention.

4. Suicide Prevention.

5. Convicts’ Right to a Fair Trial: Access to Legal Aid (Criminal, Civil, Administrative, and Disciplinary Cases).

6. Right to Privacy and Family Life (Meetings with Family Members, Correspondence, Confidentiality, Right to Conceive Children).

7. Right to Work.

8. Life Imprisonment as Cruel and Unusual Punishment.

9. Case Studies in Small Groups.

10. The treatment of vulnerable groups in prison (women, including mothers, minors and those with chronic illnesses, including persons with disabilities)."

The detailed programme of the training will be published later and made available on the webpage of the event.

Simultaneous interpretation is performed by Turianski&Wolfsson.

The organizers welcome applications from

- lawyers from NGOs, employees of human rights ombudsmen’s offices, barristers, solicitors, law school teachers,

- who have a degree in law and are experienced in the protection of prisoners’ rights;

- teaching experience (university, NGO seminars) is a plus and will be seen as an advantage in the selection process;

Participants will receive certificates of participation.

Please submit applications to participate in the training here http://goo.gl/s27wuN

Conditions for the participation in the training:

- Only persons who have submitted applications on time and passed the selection process and who have received a personal invitation listing the participation conditions will be able to participate. Following the result of the selection contest the organizers may offer the out-of-town participants a limited number of grants to cover a part of expenses involved in the participation in the training.

Application forms will be accepted until 24.00 hours (Yekaterinburg time), 30 March 2015. Application forms must be filled out online. The amount of applications is usually three or more per one place, please fill out application forms responsibly.

Questions regarding the School and application forms can be asked in comments on the school announcement page http://sutyajnik.ru/news/2015/02/2418.html

Once the selection process is complete the selected participants will receive personal invitations.

See information on previous Ural Human Right Schools here -

4th Ural School 2014 - http://goo.gl/Cnioie

3rd Ural School 2014 - http://goo.gl/40RzV3

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “Teaching Human Rights in Russia and other European Countries” 2013 http://goo.gl/bOzf82

2nd Ural School 2012 - http://goo.gl/fsDQlL

1st Ural School 2011 - http://goo.gl/odtGcF

Academy of Human Rights, NGOs – Sutyajnik, Pravovaya Osnova [Legal Basis], the Prison Litigation Network and Prison Reform International are taking part in the preparation of the School.

under the patronage of the Sverdlovsk Oblast Human Rights Ombudsman.

2015 – 20th ANNIVERSARY OF SUTYAJNIK. 20 YEARS PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS! THE EVENT IS MARKING THE ANNIVERSARY.

Further details of the event:

"PROBLEMS OF THE PENITENTIARY SYSTEM REFORMS IN RUSSIA, EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, AND THE UNITED STATES"

17.03.2015