Pastor Kwacha Mvula (left), Coordinator of Prison Fellowship Zambia, receives from Jane Kapembwa (right) of the Bible Society of Zambia Bibles, brochures and magazines donated by the Bible Society in Australia. Looking on is Apostle Kampeshi, trustee of Prison Fellowship Zambia. Photo: BSZ/Wilson Mumba (ZAM05DJ-3.JPG)

Pastor Kwacha Mvula (left), Coordinator of Prison Fellowship Zambia, receives from Jane Kapembwa (right) of the Bible Society of Zambia Bibles, brochures and magazines donated by the Bible Society in Australia. Looking on is Apostle Kampeshi, trustee of Prison Fellowship Zambia. Photo: BSZ/Wilson Mumba (ZAM05DJ-3.JPG)

Below is a letter of response [24 July 2006] sent to FPSS advocate Kay Danes who wrote to Pastor Mvula about Zambian death row prisoner, Mr. Mudimah Bernard currently detained in Maximum Security Prison [Zambia].

Dear Kay Danes, I greet you in the wonderful name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Am fine. My name is Pastor Kwacha Mvula Zambia Prison Fellowship Coordinator Lusaka Care Group. Am a Pastor for a Pentecoast Holiness Church. At the same time a voluntary worker I really have a heart for prisioners. I visit different prisons everyday. It has become of my everyday life. Most of the inmates know, I help them access their families, help them source for clothes, courts, medicine etc. Also help with second hand or new bibles, gospel tracts and just in anyway that I can manage to help. Most of them when they come out of prison have no where to go. Therefore I have found a piece of which am intending to build a dropping centre for inmates. Then if that is done, we hope to do alot of activities to keep the ex-prisoners and their families to keep busy in different activities like bricklaying, tailoring, mechanics, electrical, gardening and many other jobs, we are asking for your prayers and your financial or material support in this regard. Your are free to come and visit us so that you can witness this progress. I know Bernard and he really needs help. Any amount sent to help can assist to solve a lot of problems. Please feel free to ask me about anything. My address is P.O. Box 35538, Lusaka, Zambia God bless you richly. Regards Pastor Mvula

Other Links:

PRISONERS ADVOCATE LEGAL SERVICES LIMITED

The Staff of Prisoners Advocate Legal Service Limited regularly visits Port Phillip and Melbourne Assessment Prisons.

Mr. Peter Monagle, a supervising Solicitor for the organisation, says that they strongly desire to support prisoner's rights, particularly within the State of Victoria [Australia]. He is happy to field enquiries relating to:

"CAHRA" is a non for profit, tax-free organization. It's primary objectives are:

a) Provide humanitarian aid by way of food, medicine, and other necessities to groups of human rights activists working in Cuba

b) Provide technological information equipment such as telephones, fax machines, data processors and computers to human rights activists in Cuba so as to facilitate their research, and their writing of letters and articles

c) Provide a forum for human rights activists in Cuba to be able to share their experiences with the international community

d) Make the international community and the people of that Island aware of human rights violations in Cuba and of the repressive measures which are used against human rights activists.

Cuban Prisons

Mr. Gualdo says that it is encouraging for Cubans to see the details of many prisoners listed online. FPSS advocates also feel that this is important, to humanize their suffering and create awareness throughout the world in the hope that in time, change will come and with it, grant freedom to those political prisoners of Cuba.

As a former Cuban Political Prisoner himself, Mr. Gualdo knows only too well the feeling of complete helplessness in the quest for freedom.

FPSS are pleased to encourage its members to visit the website of 'CAHRA' and show support.

Website: www.cahra.org

In the spotlight at FPSS is a very special group that has been chosen this month [Nov 05] by FPSS to be highlighted because of their tremendous dedication and commitment to providing humanitarian support to the poor people in Cambodia.

IRC Inc. is a non-governmental, not for profit organization operating out of the state of Tennessee, United States of America. FPSS has known Vice-President Colonel Khambang Sibounheuang for a number of years and in fact, it was through him that FPSS first learned of the foundation created in support of Humanitarian projects in Cambodia.

click here to red more about this group..

PRISONWORLD is a Dutch forum with a growing membership from all over the world, dedicated to writing to prisoners interned in foreign countries. Many of their members run their own independent human rights sites and organisations, and many of their members simply care and do whatever they can to bring a little hope to an otherwise darkened day in the life of a prisoner.

"I have known Nicolette to be a very dedicated woman with a passion to help others' says Kay Danes, FPSS advocate.

The PRISONWORLD forum is primarily in the Dutch language but there are a few westerners in there contributing, so we hope that you will take the time to drop in and say hello.

'We are a big group but still very close to each other. We always give information about several organisations but the main thing is for us at the moment to give names of people who are really in need to become pen pals. Our group is getting bigger every week. We use the Foreign Prisoner Support Website [http://www.foreignprisoners.com] several times to give our members the latest news for example: about Schapelle Corby and the Bali 9. This information is not easily found here in the Netherlands so we really appreciate our friendship with the FPSS. Please visit our website if you have time.'

Nicolette Polderman
Forum Administrator
http://www.prisonworld.nl/

This month, FPSS want to highlight one of the many projects that Project SafeCom is getting behind; A call for a Royal Commission into issues relating to detention and the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers to Australia.

Project SafeCom has put forth a petition to ask the House of Representatives in Australia to ensure that this inquiry includes investigations into:

• conditions, incidents and events, in Australian and 'Pacific Solution' detention centres & all other forms of immigration detention and prisons, police lock-ups, home detention, including how incidents were acted upon and followed up;
• engagement and administration of the contract between ACM and the Commonwealth of Australia from 1997-2004 incl., and Group 4Falck from 2003 onwards; and the conduct of ACM and GSL in their operation of IDCs;
• the sinking of SIEVX and the possible role of AFP, ASIS and agents recruited, equipped or tasked by either AFP or ASIS;
• whether the Howard government influenced ADF & other Commonwealth agencies to suppress information about interception procedures and measures regarding Australia's rescue obligations to refugee claimants attempting to reach Australia in SIEVs;
• into deaths of immigration detainees including the adequacy of any previous investigations and responses to their deaths, and unnatural deaths of TPV holders in the community;
• compliance of the TPV regime with international refugee law and its impact on the human rights of refugees on TPV's;
• whether a bias was present or created in refugee assessment and review;
• the effects of preventing due access by lawyers, media agents and the public in order to assess, assist, support and report;
• whether obstructions were caused to the unfettered access to all aspects of legal recourse during assessment, review and appeals;
• the effects of government policies on their physical and mental health and that of their families and dependants;
• damage and disruption to asylum seekers' lives, family and career plans;
• deportees and their fate upon return;
• and into the cost to the Australian community of these policies.

Foreign Prisoner Support Services hopes that all Australians will take an interest in issues like this because human rights violations are happening everywhere in the world and most definitely, in Australia 'the so-called lucky country.

For more information please click here

or contact:

Jack H Smit
Project SafeCom Inc.

PO Box 364, Narrogin WA 6312