[Ppnews] Support Human Rights for Prisoners with Disabilities

[Political Prisoner News]

Support Human Rights for Prisoners with Disabilities!

Why Prison Activists should support ratification 
the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
Anyone who has ever been in prison or supported 
someone inside knows that prisons in the US are 
inhumane and often profoundly disabling. Whether 
due to no healthcare or bad healthcare, violence, 
stress, poor food and housing conditions, or 
aging inside, many people become disabled while 
in prison. Others who go in with a chronic 
illness or disability get worse
or do not survive prison at all.
What is the CRPD?
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with 
Disabilities (CRPD) is an international treaty 
that asserts the human and civil rights of people 
with disabilities (PWDs) and the obligations of 
governments to promote, protect and ensure those 
rights. The United Nations General Assembly 
adopted the Convention in December 2006 and in 
March 2007 nations of the world began to sign 
this new treaty. As with any international law, 
such as the Geneva Conventions on the treatment 
of political prisoners, each individual country 
must sign and ratify it for it to become binding. 
But even for nations that do not sign on, these 
treaties are looked to as international standards 
to be respected. As such, international laws such 
as the CRPD can become important tools for 
activists to fight for the rights of our people.

There are 8 guiding principles for the CRPD:
    * Respect for the inherent dignity, 
individual autonomy including the freedom to make 
one's own choices, and independence of PWDs
    * Non-discrimination
    * Full and effective participation and inclusion in all aspects of society
    * Respect for difference and acceptance of 
persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity
    * Equality of opportunity
    * Accessibility
    * Equality between men and women
    * Respect for the evolving capacities of 
children with disabilities and respect for the 
right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities
What You Can Do
In 2008 in prisons throughout the US, prisoners 
with disabilities are routinely denied access to 
prison programs and appropriate and necessary 
treatments, forcibly restrained or medicated 
against their will, among other human rights 
violations. We, former prisoners and prison 
activists, urge you and your organizations to 
support efforts to get the US Government to 
ratify this new convention. We believe it can be 
an important tool for demanding humane conditions 
and protecting human rights for prisoners with 
disabilities, and for holding prisons accountable 
for violations of these rights. Sign and 
distribute the petition to Zalmay Mamozy 
Khalilzad, the Permanent US Ambassador to the United Nations.
For more information:
UN Convention- Full 
text: 
<http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?navid=12&pid=150>www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?navid=12&pid=150

CCWP, 1540 Market Street #490, SF, CA 94102. 
<http://www.wpmenprisoners.org>www.wpmenprisoners.org. 415-255-7036 ext.4

Stop Force, c/o Hazen, 340 Hudson Ave., Albany NY 
12210. <http://www.stopforce.org>www.stopforce.org  315-528-3385




Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

415 863-9977

www.Freedomarchives.org  
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