[Onthebarricades] Prison uprisings

[Andy]

*   INDIA/PUNJAB:  Five hours of prison unrest after jailers cut Sikh's 
hair; fires started
*  CANADA:  Abbotsville prison uprising, fires started in protest over 
recreation, "media events"
*  US:  Brownsville contraband crackdown leads to unrest
*  CANADA:  Vancouver screws routed by prisoners with baseball bats
*  CANADA:  Joyceville uprising - inmates flood prison, trash cells
*  CANADA:  Vancouver transfer attempt met by uprising
*  CANADA:  Short uprising at Thorold
*  US:  Fires started in Adelanto prison revolt
*  SAUDI ARABIA:  Prisoners stage walkout, injure guards in protest over TV 
access
*  UK:  Muslim prisoners stage uprising against racists ["al-Qaeda"... yeh 
right...]
    [NOTE:  I've also heard reports of unrest at the main site holding 
Muslim prisoners, where prisoners fought back after abuse from guards]
*  US:  Escape attempt and unrest at Virginia prison
*  UK:  Screw injured in Brixton prison unrest
*  MEXICO:  Guards held hostage during prison revolt
*  QUEBEC/CANADA:  Smoking ban reversed after it causes prison uprising
*  PAPUA NEW GUINEA:  Prisoner breaks out... and back in again
*  UK:  Guards injured in uprising at "unit" for children
*  UK:  Two escape during revolt at youth prison
*  MOROCCO:  Political Islamist prisoners stage successful jailbreak
*  GUANTANAMO BAY:  Trial delayed by prisoner protest

Publicly Archived at Global Resistance: 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance


http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/prisoners-riot-in-jalandhar-jail_10032881.html

Prisoners riot in Jalandhar jail
March 30th, 2008 - 7:01 pm ICT by admin -  Email This Post

Jalandhar, March 30 (IANS) Scores of inmates went on a rampage in the 
central jail in this Punjab city Sunday following the mysterious death of a 
prisoner inside the jail complex. The police and jail staff took over three 
hours to bring the riot by jail inmates under control.
This is the second time within three months that jail inmates have indulged 
in a riot inside the jail premises. In January this year, the inmates had 
gone on a rampage for nearly five hours after a clash with jail staff. The 
provocation then was that jail officials cut a Sikh inmate's hair.
The inmates went on a rampage after Jaspal Singh, an inmate, was found dead 
Sunday morning. They alleged that Singh died because contaminated water was 
being supplied to the inmates and also because he was not given timely 
medical attention after he suffered from stomach ache.
The riotous inmates damaged jail property and even set parts of the prison 
complex on fire. Over 10 fire tenders had to be rushed to the jail complex 
to put out the fires set by the prisoners.
Senior district officials, including the deputy commissioner and the 
district police chief, rushed to the jail after trouble broke out.
A probe has been ordered by the district administration into the death of 
the jail inmate and also into Sunday's rioting, said deputy commissioner 
A.S. Pannu.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=6f3baca0-23b4-4345-b17b-e0df496cf38e&k=39513

Matsqui Institution under lockdown after inmate protest
Vancouver Sun
Published: Saturday, January 26, 2008
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - A medium-security prison in Abbotsford remains under 
lockdown today after an inmate disturbance late Friday.
The incident at the Matsqui Institution started around 9 p.m. when an 
estimated 170 prisoners refused to leave the exercise yard and return to 
their living unit, the Correctional Service of Canada said in a news 
release.
For over three hours, the inmates refused to budge despite the deployment of 
a negotiator and the emergency response team. A number of fires were set in 
garbage, foliage and to an outdoor structure.
Starting at 12:30 a.m. inmates were escorted to their cells one at a time, 
with the lockup completed by 3:25 a.m.
No injuries were reported.
The prison said inmates were protesting difficulties in assessing 
recreational activities, as well as "recent media events."
The lockdown will remain in effect pending an assessment and search, the 
Correctional Service of Canada said.
The Matsqui Institution has a capacity of 350 inmates.

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/jail_84372___article.html/detention_inmates.html

Riot breaks out at county jail
February 13, 2008 - 11:44PM
By JOSÉ BORJÓN/The Brownsville Herald
A riot broke out Wednesday night at the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center 
in Olmito after detention guards found contraband inside a jail cell, 
Sheriff Omar Lucio said.

"Some of the detention guards found some contraband inside a cell pod," he 
said. "A couple of the (inmates) in the pods got upset and began to act 
rowdy."

Lucio said jail supervisors called the SWAT team shortly after 8:30 p.m. The 
riot began shortly before that.

"We took action, we activated the SWAT and this is because we try to keep 
(the jail) contraband free," he said. "We are getting people out here 
because we don't want anybody to get hurt - detention guards and inmates."

Brownsville fire and emergency medical services were called to the Olmito 
jail, though no injuries were reported.

The 13 inmates who were being rowdy were taken to another cell where they 
would be held, pending suspension of privileges.

Lucio himself supervised the incident.

"I stayed in there to make sure all the inmates were OK," he said. "I talked 
to some of them. I was there about 30 minutes to make sure everything went 
smoothly."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FLAC.20080402.BCPRISON02%2FTPStory%2FNational&ord=70392769&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true

Rioting prisoners were armed with gym's aluminum bats
ROBERT MATAS
VANCOUVER -- Two lone, unarmed correctional officers in charge of as many as 
40 prisoners fled for their lives when inmates armed with aluminum baseball 
bats from their B.C. prison's sports equipment room went on a rampage on the 
weekend that left two men dead, one of them beaten to death.

http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=968679

Emergency reponse team quells riot in Joyceville penitentiary
Posted 10 days ago
Convicts at medium-security Joyceville penitentiary are confined to their 
cells and visits to the prison are cancelled after an uprising that was 
quelled by an emergency response team.
Corrections Canada says the disturbance began Monday evening when inmates in 
one unit covered the windows of their cell doors and began smashing property 
and setting fires.
Inmates also broke open water pipes, causing flooding.
The prison's emergency response team, a squad dressed in riot gear, brought 
the incident under control.
Corrections says no one was seriously injured.
Earlier Monday evening, at 5 p.m., prison staff found an injured inmate who 
had been assaulted. He was taken to hospital with non-life threatening 
injuries.
It's not known when the prison's normal routine will resume.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/02/10/bc-prison-riot.html

B.C. prison remains in lockdown after riot
Last Updated: Sunday, February 10, 2008 | 4:50 PM ET
CBC News
Calm has been restored at a maximum-security prison in B.C. following a riot 
by about 30 prisoners on Saturday.
A tactical team ended the disturbance at the Fraser Regional Correctional 
Centre in Maple Ridge without serious injuries, a union spokesman for prison 
guards said Sunday.
"A riot inside a maximum security prison is very frightening and scary. It's 
a very dangerous situation," Dean Purdy, a spokesman for the B.C. Government 
Employees Union, told the CBC's Leslie Pritchard.
The RCMP said it appeared some prisoners were upset they were being 
transferred to another facility.
While there have been complaints of overcrowding at the facility, it's not 
known whether that played a part in the angry confrontation. Purdy said the 
prison has a capacity of 430 inmates but held 65 more than that Saturday.
At one point during the riot, prisoners could be seen breaking windows and 
throwing objects to other inmates in the yard below. Inmates took other 
inmates hostage and two small fires were started.
The uprising started about 10 a.m. local time and ended four hours later 
with prisoners either being put back in their cells or arrested by police.
Ambulance and fire crews were called to the prison as a precaution, but the 
police spokesman said neither service was necessary.
Both the RCMP and correctional centre officials will be investigating the 
cause of the disturbance.

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=926546&auth=MATTHEW+VAN+DONGEN

Thorold jail riot quelled; Staff act quickly to remove inmates who set fire 
at detention centre
Posted By MATTHEW VAN DONGEN
Posted 26 days ago
A fire set by a group of angry inmates at the Thorold Detention Centre was 
quickly doused Saturday night.
A "minor disturbance" started among 14 inmates in a unit of the 
maximum-security jail around 7:45 p.m., said Stuart McGetrick, spokesman for 
the provincial Ministry of Correctional Services.
"They began banging around in their cells, making demands, and staff were 
quick to respond," McGetrick said.
The centre's Institutional Crisis Intervention Team began rounding up the 
"ringleaders" and removing them from six cells in the unit.
While that was happening, one of the inmates lit a towel on fire and threw 
it into a pile of garbage in the unit's day room.
The fire was doused by staff and the inmates were removed before Thorold 
firefighters and Niagara Regional Police arrived at the scene.
"They caused a stir. They set fire to a couple of things, chairs and 
clothing, but it was dealt with quickly and contained," NRP Sgt. Chris 
Scotland said.
"We attended, but we weren't required. The team they had to deal with these 
situations did so quickly."
One inmate was treated for smoke inhalation at St. Catharines General 
hospital, but no one else was injured and the public was never in danger, 
Scotland said.
Detention centre staff evacuated 14 inmates and transferred them to other 
areas within the facility.
Thorold firefighters used fans to ventilate the 1355 Uppers Lane jail, which 
is used as a temporary holding facility and for prisoners serving shorter 
sentences.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/sbcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_B_bprison24.4393cdc.html

17 inmates sent to hospitals after riot at Adelanto prison

10:00 PM PST on Saturday, February 23, 2008
By MARK MUCKENFUSS
The Press-Enterprise
A prison riot Saturday sent 17 inmates of the Desert View Corrections 
facility in Adelanto to area hospitals.
Tim Franke, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, said 
the agency responded to a call at 4 p.m.
Over the course of the evening, Franke said, 16 more inmates with 
undetermined injuries were transported to hospitals in the Victorville and 
San Bernardino areas.
Rick McClintock is the battalion chief at the county's Adelanto fire 
station. The station, McClintock said, is next door to the prison.
McClintock said three engine companies responded, and 10 fire personnel were 
involved.
Two inmates were treated on scene. The most seriously injured inmate was 
airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. The extent of his 
injuries and his identity were not released.
Firefighters left the prison shortly after 10 p.m.
Nathanial Peinado, a spokesman for American Medical Response in Rancho 
Cucamonga, said the company sent seven ambulances to the prison.
People answering the phone at Desert View Corrections, a privately run 
prison, said they had no comment.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-prison24feb24,1,1344413.story

19 injured in riot at prison in Adelanto
template_bas
template_bas
>From a Times Staff Writer
February 24, 2008

Nineteen people were injured Saturday in a riot at the Desert View Modified 
Community Correctional Facility in Adelanto, authorities said.

San Bernadino County Fire Department officials said one victim suffered 
serious injuries and needed to be airlifted to a hospital. The others 
suffered minor injuries and also were taken to area hospitals, said Tim 
Franke, a fire dispatch supervisor.

Franke, who could not specify whether the injured were all inmates, said 
units arrived at the prison at 4 p.m. in response to a riot in progress. He 
said firefighters stayed at the facility for six hours as correctional 
officers secured the prison and identified the injured.

Desert View officials could not be reached for comment.

A 2006 annual report by Boca Raton, Fla.-based The GEO Group, which owned 
the facility at the time, described Desert View as a medium-security prison 
with 643 inmates.

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=123&art_id=nw20080226132830747C149892

Saudi prison riot

    February 26 2008 at 02:12PM

Riyadh - A riot that erupted in a prison in Saudi Arabia overnight over a 
request to watch satellite TV left several inmates and police officers 
injured, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Inmates at the prison in the northern Saudi city of Arar walked out of wards 
and refused to go back until their demand to watch satellite TV channels was 
met, the al-Riyah daily quoted security official Major-General Bandar al-Ida 
as saying.

Police said they regained control of the prison after encircling it until 
late Monday after gunshots were heard and ambulances were seen evacuating 
the wounded, mostly police officers, to hospital. - Sapa-dpa

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=107266&d=28&m=2&y=2008&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

Inmates at Arar Prison Riot Over Satellite TV
Abdul Rahman Abdul Wahid, Arab News

A guard who was injured during Monday night's prison riot receives treatment 
at the Arar Central Hospital. (AN photo)

AL-JOUF, 28 February 2008 - A riot that erupted in a prison in the northern 
border town of Arar over a request to watch satellite TV was brought under 
control by security officials, police said yesterday. The rioting on Monday 
night left several inmates and police officers injured.
Inmates of the Arar Central Prison walked out of wardsaround 8.30 p.m. on 
Monday and refused to go back until their demand to watch satellite TV 
channels was met, said Col. Bandar Al-Ayda, spokesman for the Northern 
Border Region Police.
"Some inmates refused to return to their wards unless their demands were 
approved. The actions to bring the situation under control resulted in the 
rioting. A total of five men, including two security men, were injured 
during the altercation," Al-Ayda said.
The demands of the rioters also included changes in their daily ration, he 
said.
Al-Ayda said security forces regained control of the prison late Monday. 
Witnesses reported that gunshots were heard inside the prison and ambulances 
were seen evacuating the wounded to hospital.
Al-Ayda said when the prisoners turned belligerent the jail chief tried to 
pacify them by holding negotiations with their leaders. But while the 
prisoners' representatives were meeting with the jail officials, some 
prisoners damaged doors of their wards and others started a riot outside. In 
the ensuing melee a few warders and inmates suffered minor injuries, the 
police spokesman said. "All the injured were given necessary treatment and 
are now in good health," he said.
Al-Ayda added that the jail officials resorted to routine security 
procedures to bring the situation under control.
According to a jail source, the inmates of Ward No. 4 made a bid to break 
out at 8:30 p.m. after staging a hunger strike demanding that the jail 
authorities allow some popular satellite TV channels in their wards.
"An inmate attacked some guards while they were questioning him. But when he 
was sent back to the ward, he attempted to break the door of his cell, which 
prompted intervention of the warders. This was followed by a violent clash 
between the guards and inmates," said the source.
He said the prisoners used clubs and sharp objects to attack the guards, and 
they broke several doors and bulbs. They also vandalized the jail's 
operations room, he added.
"Some of them ran to the roof of the jail in a bid to escape but security 
forces immediately surrounded the prison and stopped them," the source said.
According to local residents, a number of gunshots were heard inside the 
prison. They said security officers were seen deploying around the prison. 
Several ambulances were seen entering the jail premises to evacuate the 
wounded.
"We found security forces cordoning off the jail area and Red Crescent 
ambulances rushing in and taking out wounded people," one resident told Arab 
News.
According to a hospital source, the emergency room in the Arar Central 
Hospital received several security officers and prisoners with minor 
injuries.
The source said that the leader of the rioters, a murder convict, was among 
the injured.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/03/25/al-qaeda-jail-gang-spark-riot-89520-20362353/

Al-Qaeda jail gang spark riot
EXCLUSIVE
By Greig Box Turnbull   25/03/2008

An al-Qaeda jail gang sparked a brutal riot at Britain's toughest prison 
after claiming an inmate insulted one of them.
The Muslim Boys mob armed themselves with socks packed with tinned food as 
they ambushed rival prisoners in a fearsome revenge attack.
All warders on duty were scrambled into action but it took 10 minutes to 
quell the violence.
An insider at Belmarsh prison, South East London, revealed: "They attacked a 
group of non-Muslim prisoners at meal time.
"It was brutal and all hell broke lose. One of them was verbally abused and 
the fight is thought to have been retaliation.
"They have no qualms about using violence to exert their authority."
Belmarsh staff have grown furious at what they see as bosses' soft approach 
to the gang.
Last year, they battered four officers with pool cues in a riot. And three 
officers were attacked during a separate incident.

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=7761326

Riot erupts in escape attempt at state juvenile jail

Associated Press - January 23, 2008 10:55 AM ET
GRUNDY, Va. (AP) - A riot that erupted at a state juvenile facility in 
Buchanan County has ended peacefully.
Buchanan County Sheriff Ray Foster says a riot broke out about 10 p.m. 
Monday that involved five juveniles and an adult in an escape attempt at 
Virginia Wilderness Institute. He says one room was vandalized, but the 
disturbance was quelled by early Tuesday.
Foster said several deputies and the state police assisted institute 
personnel in restoring order.
Foster said the Virginia Wilderness Institute is handling the investigation, 
and the Sheriff's Department has filed no charges.
Information from: Bluefield Daily Telegraph

http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_022202249.html

Juveniles incite riot at Buchanan facility
By CHARLES OWENS
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
GRUNDY, Va. - A riot at a juvenile facility in Buchanan County ended 
peacefully early Tuesday, police said.

The Buchanan County Sheriff's Department was dispatched to the Virginia 
Wilderness Institute in the Patterson community around 10 p.m. Monday night 
in reference to a riot and attempted escape involving five juveniles, 
Sheriff Ray Foster said.

"There was five juveniles and one adult," Foster said. "They started a riot, 
and vandalizing the room."

Foster said the six individuals attempted to escape from the facility.

"They didn't escape," Foster said. "They just attempted to escape."

Foster said law enforcement officials cleared the facility around 2 a.m. 
Tuesday.

"We had several deputies, and the state (police)," Foster said. "We just 
assisted the Wilderness Institute."

Foster said no charges were filed by the sheriff's department.

Foster said the Virginia Wilderness Institute is handling the investigation.

- Contact Charles Owens at cowens at bdtonline.com

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23435471-details/Woman%20governor%20tumbles%20down%20stairs%20as%20100%20prisoners%20riot/article.do

Woman governor tumbles down stairs as 100 prisoners riot
Last updated at 00:52am on 04.02.08

Prisoner governor Sonia Brooks suffered a broken wrist in the riot
A woman prison governor suffered a broken wrist after falling down a 
staircase during a riot in which more than 100 inmates fought with chair 
legs, pool cues and snooker balls stuffed into socks.
Sonia Brooks fell when she tried to help break up a violent brawl between 
rival Irish and Muslim gangs at Brixton Prison in South London.
Two of her male colleagues were knocked unconscious and one warder suffered 
a fractured cheekbone as inmates went on the rampage.
Twelve staff were treated in hospital and one had to take a week off after 
suffering severe concussion. It took 60 prison officers more than an hour to 
bring the situation under control.
Ms Brooks, a junior governor, had recently been transferred from Feltham 
Young Offenders' Institution in Middlesex.
The Ministry of Justice played down the extent of the trouble, claiming it 
was a "minor disturbance" with only 25 prisoners involved in the fighting.
But the Prison Officers' Association (POA) accused the Government of a 
"cover-up" and demanded a public inquiry from Justice Secretary Jack Straw 
to establish why the Prison Service failed to order a "Gold Command Suite" - 
a top-level meeting of civil servants who direct responses to major jail 
unrest.
Insiders at Brixton said the riot had been brewing for 'some time' but 
managers had ignored repeated warnings from staff.
The inmates were packed two to a cell and a series of botched drug deals 
between the Muslim and Irish gangs are said to have stretched tensions to 
breaking point.
On January 10, tempers boiled over and a minor scuffle on A Wing escalated 
into a full-scale riot.
"It was hand-to-hand combat - an absolute free-for-all," said a source. 
"Prisoners were fighting on three different landings armed with chair legs, 
pool cues and snooker balls wrapped in socks. One hundred and twenty 
prisoners were involved.
"All 60 staff on duty had to rush over from all areas of the prison and 
several received punches and kicks to the head."
Thirty suspected ringleaders have since been moved to other jails in an 
attempt to calm the atmosphere.
"We had to draw our extendable batons which is very unusual," claimed 
another insider. "It was nothing like anyone had seen before.
"We are increasingly having to use our batons because we do not have enough 
staff to man our overcrowded prisons."
The POAs claim the battle could have been "nipped in the bud" if the number 
of staff had not been halved in recent years. Colin Moses, the POA's 
national chairman, said: "Clearly, this Government is more interested in 
covering up what happens in prisons rather than trying to solve problems of 
its own making.
"What we saw in Brixton is indicative of an under-resourced, under-staffed 
Prison Service, at a time when my members are having to deal with more 
violent inmates than ever before.
"We want a full independent inquiry into what happened at Brixton to ensure 
that it never happens again."
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Herbert said: "Jack Straw must provide the 
full facts about this incident. It is essential that in conditions of 
overcrowding we can be confident that prisons are under control."
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said last night: "There was no attempt to 
mislead anyone. Approximately 25 prisoners were involved in aggression and a 
further 60 refused to return to their cells.
"Gold Command Suite was not opened because Brixton prison authorities 
believed they could control the situation.
"A number of staff were injured including a female prison governor who 
stumbled down some stairs. Ministers were told the following day about the 
incident."

http://itn.co.uk/news/8920bfb8c3ea5c711b999af8ca9f095c.html

Prison riot in Mexico
Updated 10.56 Thu Jan 17 2008
Keywords: riot, prison, mexico city, mexico, world
More than a dozen guards have been held hostage after a riot at a prison in 
Mexico City.
The attorney general's office said 16 guards were held at the Neza-Bordo 
prison.
"The last director was better than this" - inmate's relative
Six of the hostages were later taken to hospital.
Reports claim some prisoners were prevented from escaping and reacted by 
starting the riot that involved more than 700 inmates.
Over 500 officers from Mexico's state security agency tried to bring the 
situation under control and used tear gas against the prisoners.
Outside the prison, a relative of one of the inmates said: "This is very 
bad, really bad, the last director was better than this, and the last deputy 
director, usually came and faced us, not like this. Listen to the gunshots, 
look how many are coming."
Reports said the riot ended after more than four hours.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=f2904795-a028-4005-8b0d-f1636ed8e8d8&k=77653

Prisoners can smoke after riot over ban
Jason Magder ,  Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, February 08, 2008
Quebec's public security minister is denying he backtracked on a smoking ban 
in light of a small riot that broke out at the Orsainville detention centre 
late Thursday night.
A law prohibiting smoking both inside and outside of Quebec's 18 prisons 
went into effect on Tuesday. Just before midnight on Thursday between 30 and 
50 prisoners began fighting and set fire to a wing of the Orsainville 
detention centre just north of Quebec City. The section was evacuated for 
about an hour while firefighters put out the fire. There were no injuries.
0n Friday, Public Security Minister Jacques Dupuis issued a statement saying 
prisoners would be allowed to smoke outside - an activity that was 
prohibited under the ban.
"The minister is not backing off," said Philippe Archambault, a spokesman 
for Dupuis. "He made this decision on Monday, but the prisons had to make a 
few adjustments to respond to the change."
Prisoners will be allowed to smoke during their hour of outdoor exercise 
each day and Archambault said the canteens in prisons will resume selling 
cigarettes, something they'd stopped doing last week in advance of the ban, 
but many prisoners had stocked up.
The smoking ban was wildly unpopular both among prisoners and guards.
About 80 per cent of prisoners smoke - in part because the prison 
environment encourages it, said Jean-Claude Bernheim, the president of the 
Prisoners' Right Committee.
"It's also a way to socialize and to relieve boredom because there is very 
little to do in prison."
Stephane Lemaire, vice-president of the Syndicat des agents de la paix en 
services correctionnels du Quebec, said guards were worried for their safety 
under the new ban. He said a shortage of prison guards will make even the 
relaxed rules difficult to enforce.
Bernheim suggested many guards will turn a blind eye to inmates smoking. He 
said the ban is unfair to inmates.
"It's abusive," Bernheim said. "There is a whole drug culture in prisons, 
and cigarettes are a big part of it. We can't change the mentality 
overnight."
About 70 per cent of inmates in provincial jails are incarcerated for a 
period of three months or less, Bernheim said.
The longest sentence in a provincial jail is two years.
Quebec is now the only province that allows smoking in jail. In federal 
penitentiaries, where inmates serve sentences of two years or more, a total 
smoking ban will go into effect on April 30.
Prisoners will have access to stop smoking groups, and be given free 
nicotine patches, as well as access to nicotine gum and the stop-smoking 
drug Zyban.
jmagder at thegazette.canwest.com

© Montreal Gazette 2008

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=68050

01/29/2008 10:35 AM                  ID: 68050
Man With Double Life Sentence Breaks Back in to Set Fire After Escaping

45-year-old Leo Aiyak, who's been in jail for several murders for the last 
17 years, escaped from a Papua New Guinea jail early Thursday where he was 
serving out a double life sentence. Three days later, he cut his way back in 
and set fire to it.
He was soon found by a nearby riverbank. An official at the jail said that 
"He has done this before, he escaped then returned to set another jail on 
fire. After this, we think he will now spend the rest of his life in jail." 
The motive was unknown.
"We believe it may have been sparked after Bihute guards discovering him 
carrying 200 kina (about $A80)," said the official.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/03/10/four-guards-wounded-after-riot-at-dangerous-kids-unit-86908-20346232/

Four Guards Wounded After Riot At Dangerous Kids Unit
Mar 10 2008 Exclusive by Lachlan Mackinnon
FOUR warders were taken to hospital after a riot in a secure unit housing 
dangerous children.
One guard had his thigh slashed in the mayhem at St Mary's Kenmure. Another 
suffered a suspected broken nose.
Around 15 police officers in riot gear were called to the unit, which houses 
murderers and sex offenders, on Saturday night.
Uproar is thought to have broken out after a boy barricaded himself in his 
bedroom.
The unit in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow, houses 30 kids aged 11 to 16 who 
have emotional and behavioural problems.
A source said: "We deal with the worst of the worst in here and it was utter 
bedlam.
"Some of our staff used to work in jails and they likened Saturday night to 
a full-scale prison riot.
"Once the kids in one unit started acting up, it spread like wildfire and 
things were being ripped up and thrown everywhere.
"They tore up their furniture, which is supposed to be securely fitted, and 
used it to smash their bedroom windows to escape into the central courtyard.
"One staff member was smacked in the nose and his whole face swelled up.
"In another unit, an oldfashioned, heavy TV box was put up in the air.
"A boy picked up a six-inch shard of glass from the broken screen and tossed 
it across the room at another warder.
"It tore through his trousers and slashed his thigh open.
"Those two staff and a couple of others, who also suffered some scrapes, 
were taken to hospital.
"I'm not sure when they will be back at work."
The source said all the kids at St Mary's had their own rooms with en-suite 
toilets.
He added: "One boy totally destroyed his toilet and flooded the entire floor 
of his unit.
"The police were called in at 8pm and left a couple of hours later after 
helping us get the situation under control."
But the trouble didn't stop there.
The insider said: "The children started playing up again as soon as they 
left. Some of them broke out of their rooms into the central courtyard where 
we have a playing field.
"It was four or five in the morning before we had everyone back in their 
rooms.
"The repair bill will run into thousands of pounds."
It is understood a 15-year-old girl could face a charge for assaulting a 
policeman while resisting arrest.
The insider said there is low morale among staff. He added: "The kids here 
are among the most dangerous in Britain in their age group. There is a high 
stress factor involved in working with them.
"Staff are off all the time after being assaulted, kicked and punched.
"These kids come through the criminal justice system and children's panels 
from all over the UK.
"Many have been relocated from other homes because they are too hard to 
handle. You can't take your eyes off them for a second. One of the boys 
started a fire by setting his mattress alight a couple of months ago.
"A few members of staff were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of 
inhaling the smoke.
"The kids can be incredibly devious and we have to be wary of giving them 
anything they can use as a weapon.
"Some should be in psychiatric wards because they need intensive specialist 
care. We do have psychiatrists, but it's not enough.
"Staff often have to restrain children up to six times a day and many feel 
the management don't appreciate their efforts.
"Many of the kids, especially the boys, are quite formidable.
"Some are around 6ft and look as if they weigh 14 stones so you can't take 
any risks with your safety.
"Some of us have even suffered broken ribs trying to restrain them.
"Even if you are dealing with a murderer, you still have to develop 
relationships to show them people can be normal and caring.
"After incidents like Saturday's, we need to feel like our bosses are 
backing us."
A Strathclyde Police spokeswoman said: "A 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old 
girl are subject of a report to the procurator fiscal following an incident 
at StMary's."
The 14-year-old is expected to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court today.
A spokeswoman for East Dunbartonshire Council said the unit was run by the 
Cora Foundation - a charity committed to Christian social care and 
education - for the Catholic Church.
A spokesman for the Catholic Church said yesterday: "Following a fire alarm 
being set off, police and fire officers were called and two arrests made."
A spokesman for the Care Commission, who oversee the unit, said: "Any 
serious incidents which take place in care services will be examined by us.
"While the events at St Mary's Kenmure are the subject of a police 
investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further."
StMary's is where LukeMitchell was detained in 2004 while he was on trial 
for murdering Dalkeith schoolgirl Jodi Jones, 14.
William McDermott, of Foxbar, Paisley, was 15 when he was held at St Mary's 
after he stabbed Scott Ferguson to death in September 1996.
Claire Codona was also housed at St Mary's.
In October 1995, she became Scotland's youngest convicted murderer at the 
age of 14, for her part in the killing of Michael Doran, 35.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7322494.stm

Two on run after secure unit riot

The unit can hold up to 36 young residents
Ten young offenders went on the run from a secure unit after a late-night 
riot, it has emerged.
Police are still hunting two of the youths who escaped from St Mary's 
Kenmure in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire early on Sunday.
The building was badly damaged after fires were started, computers smashed 
and staff attacked.
Twelve of those involved in the disturbance are due to appear at Glasgow 
Sheriff Court later.
The unit is run by the Cora Foundation, which is owned by the Bishops' 
Conference of Scotland. It can hold up to 36 youngsters aged between 11 and 
16.
One male member of staff suffered a slight cut in the disturbance, which 
began on Saturday night before escalating in the early hours of Sunday.
The disorder ended with 10 young people breaking through security-toughened 
glass in an accommodation block

St Mary's Kenmure spokesman
A Strathclyde Police spokesman confirmed: "Ten youths made off from the 
premises and eight were traced a short time later.
"Inquiries are continuing to trace two males, aged 14 and 16.
"A total of 12 youths have been arrested in relation to the incident and are 
presently in police custody."
He added that a report would be sent to the procurator fiscal.
A spokesman for the unit's board of managers said the facility had been 
temporarily closed while an investigation and repairs were carried out.
The spokesman added: "The disorder ended with 10 young people breaking 
through security-toughened glass in an accommodation block.
"During the disturbance there was minor fire damage to carpets and the 
electronic security system was damaged, along with a number of rooms and 
public areas."
Behaviourally challenged
A Strathclyde Fire and Rescue spokeswoman confirmed they had attended the 
unit after reports of an alarm being activated.
St Mary's Kenmure is a residential facility designed to offer support and 
education to behaviourally challenged young people who are referred from the 
Children's Panel system and sometimes from Sheriff Courts.
It is not a prison, although the young residents are not free to leave 
unless under supervision.
Rooms at the unit have en-suite toilet and shower facilities. It also 
features a swimming pool, gym and all weather playing fields.
A Scottish Government spokesman said the justice secretary had been made 
aware of the incident and was being kept up to date with developments.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7335004.stm

Casablanca bomb convicts escape

Nine people convicted for links to suicide bombings in Casablanca have 
escaped from a Moroccan prison, officials say.
Prison authorities at Kenitra, 40km (25 miles) north of the capital, Rabat, 
noticed the escape on Monday morning, the Justice Ministry told state media.
An interior ministry source told AFP news agency that the prisoners had 
tunnelled their way out.
The 2003 attacks left 45 people dead, including 12 bombers, and many 
injured.
Most of the nine men were serving life sentences for involvement in the 
bombings, a group which supports Islamist prisoners said.
Message
The men were reported to have escaped just after morning prayers on Monday.
A source close to Islamist prisoners told the BBC the nine men had left a 
message on their wall of their jail.
It said they had suffered from injustice and were escaping because they saw 
no other solution to their woes, stressing that they received no outside 
help for their prison break.
All possible measures were being taken to find the fugitives, the Justice 
Ministry said in a statement on state news agency MAP.
Officials had been sent to the prison to investigate how the convicts had 
broken out, it said. In December 2007, drugs baron Mohammad Ouazzani escaped 
from the same jail.
Eight prison guards were subsequently convicted of helping him.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-gitmo13mar13,1,1393823.story

Guantanamo trial delayed amid prisoner's protests

An Afghan accused in attack on U. S. soldiers refuses to cooperate in what 
he calls an "illegal" tribunal.By Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times Staff 
Writer March 13, 2008
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA -- -- The Bush administration's pursuit of a quick 
conviction of an alleged terrorist unraveled Wednesday when the young 
Afghan, accused of lobbing a grenade at two U. S. soldiers, refused to 
cooperate with what he called an "illegal" tribunal.

Mohammed Jawad, 23, now faces a months-long postponement in his trial 
because the Army colonel assigned to defend him will be leaving military 
service in five days.

Jawad had to be dragged from his cell for his initial appearance before the 
military commission and was wearing the orange prison garb that denotes an 
unruly detainee when he arrived in court.

He refused to accept any military lawyer to defend him and told the judge, 
Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann, he couldn't explore his right to a civilian 
attorney unless he was freed and accorded "justice and fairness." He also 
said he had been tortured while in U. S. custody and listed as 21 years old 
even though he says he was 16 when he was arrested after the Dec. 17, 2002, 
attack in Afghanistan.

Jawad's case had been placed ahead of 13 others who have been charged, 
including six facing the death penalty if convicted of aiding the Sept. 11 
hijackers. There are 275 men imprisoned here.

The charges of murder and terrorism against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and five 
other Sept. 11 suspects have not yet left the desk of the military 
commissions' convening authority, Susan J. Crawford. A 30-day deadline for 
arraignment starts ticking as soon as the charges are delivered to the 
defendants, but the war-crimes tribunal remains mired in legal and 
procedural challenges.

With only one of the six Sept. 11 suspects assigned a military defense 
lawyer, the administration has turned to prosecuting what were considered 
easier cases, like Jawad's, in hopes of proving that the system for bringing 
terrorism suspects to justice is working.

Wednesday's erratic arraignment of Jawad exposed further flaws in the 
Pentagon's offshore court, said Col. J. Michael Sawyers.

Sawyers, an Army Reserve lawyer, was assigned to defend Jawad five months 
ago when Pentagon prosecutors first swore out the charges against him. The 
delivery of the charges to Jawad was inexplicably delayed nearly four months 
after their swearing, and Sawyers said his remaining time on active duty had 
run out, making him ineligible to represent Jawad under the commission's 
rules.

Army. Col. Steve David, the chief defense lawyer for the tribunal, has 
informed Kohlmann that he is unable to assign a new lawyer for Jawad in the 
near future because he has only nine on staff with 14 active cases. That 
includes the six Sept. 11 suspects, who by American Bar Assn. rules for 
capital cases should each have at least two military lawyers. The 
prosecution has more than 30 attorneys preparing the government's side.

While the judge and lawyers discussed the complications in the Jawad case 
behind closed doors, the Pentagon announced charges of supporting terrorism 
against another Afghan prisoner here, 30-year-old Mohammed Kamin.

Jawad was asked to enter a plea despite his rejection of legal 
representation but had slumped onto the defense table by then and refused to 
respond to Kohlmann's questions. Sawyers recommended that a plea be delayed 
until his successor as defense attorney was chosen and brought up to date.

Jawad told Kohlmann he understood his rights before the tribunal but didn't 
trust it. He said that he had been tortured while in U. S. custody at Bagram 
Air Base in Afghanistan after his arrest, and that he had been mistreated in 
Guantanamo as well.

"The American government said the Taliban has been very cruel in 
Afghanistan, that they killed people without any trial and imprisoned people 
without trial," Jawad told the judge. "When I was in detention at Bagram, 
Americans killed three people. They beat people and arrested us without 
trial. We're not given any rights."

The Afghan was born in a Pakistani refugee camp, had only a seventh-grade 
education and "Western concepts of justice and court I think are just 
completely foreign to him," Sawyers said.

Jawad held his head in his hands through much of the two-hour proceeding and 
complained of a headache from round-the-clock bright lights in his cell. He 
repeatedly removed the headset carrying the translation in his native Pashtu 
and slumped onto the defense table, moaning.

"What we had very clearly today I believe is a direct result of taking a 16- 
or 17-year-old boy and putting him in confinement for five years without 
contact with the outside world," Sawyers said.

Jawad has been charged with attempted murder and intent to inflict bodily 
harm for allegedly throwing a homemade grenade into a jeep carrying a 
National Guardsman from Long Beach, Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Martin; his 
colleague in a Special Forces unit, Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Lyons; and 
an Afghan interpreter.

Jawad told officers during his Combatant Status Review Tribunal three years 
ago that he was in the vicinity of the attack in a Kabul bazaar but denied 
having thrown the grenade. Martin and Lyons were both wounded, and the 
interpreter suffered minor injuries.

Martin, back in civilian life with the Long Beach police, was not expected 
to be called to testify. Prosecutors have his account in an affidavit.

Kohlmann acknowledged that the change in defense attorneys -- if Jawad 
changes his mind and accepts one -- was likely to cause a considerable delay 
before the next proceeding, which according to commission rules should come 
within 120 days of the defendant being served with charges. David said that 
nine attorneys joined his staff in recent days but that they couldn't start 
work until at least May.

With weeks or months needed for the new lawyers to get familiar with the 
cases, neither Jawad's trial nor those of the Sept. 11 defendants are 
expected to get underway until late this year.