Irídia and Novact present an Action Plan with 36 recommendations addressed to the Government, for the creation of an independent mechanism to monitor police actions
Pau Pérez Sales and Sara López Martín, along with industry experts, participate in the presentation of the Plan
Sponsored by the Center for the Defense of Human Rights, Iridia, and the Institute Novact Pau Pérez Sales, clinical director of Sira, and Sara López Martín, head of the legal department of the organization and member of Nonviolence Legal Sol, They participated this morning in the presentation of a document with recommendations addressed to the Government, in whose preparation both participated. The «Action Plan for the Improvement and Modernization of Transparency and Accountability Mechanisms of Police Forces in the Spanish State»It contains 36 guidelines for the State to comply with international standards on transparency and accountability. The document is divided into three sections:
- Creation of an external and independent organ that supervises and analyzes the actions of law enforcement officials.
- Strengthen the internal accountability mechanisms in the Security Forces and Corps.
- Improve the judicial investigations and measures to assist those affected within the framework of police actions.
As it points out Irene Urango, Irídia's impact reference, the initiative traces “aa roadmap in terms of public policy to guarantee the diligent and effective investigation of cases involving serious human rights violations by law enforcement officials.” In this regard, the need for an independent mechanism to monitor police actions is an international recommendation made by various organizations United Nations and from Council of Europe They have referred the matter to all Spanish state institutions on several occasions.“Why an external and independent control mechanism? What I don't understand is the question. It's perfectly normal for a public institution to be subject to oversight. How can the police be an exception to this?”, he pointed out Anja Bienert, a leading expert on police matters at Amnesty International.
From right to the left Pau Pérez (Sira); Sara López (Legal Sol y Sira); Anja Bienert (Amnesty International); Irene Urango (Irídia); Jorge del Cura (CPDT); and Matthew McEvoy (Omega Research Foundation)
During her presentation, Sara López outlined some of the recommendations from the Action Plan, specifically regarding internal investigation and accountability mechanisms. Among other things, the Steering Group identifies (1) deficiencies in the monitoring of human rights violations by officials; (2) lack of data sharing by judicial bodies and those responsible for internal affairs; and (3) lack of channels or specific channels complaint form for people affected by institutional violence.
The document, among other actions, raises the need for police chiefs to submit annual reports with disaggregated data to monitor different cases of institutional violence, including ethnic-racial identification forms; for agents to have an easily memorable identification number visible from 360º; as well as the need for judges, lawyers, and prosecutors to receive specific information on Human Rights and international standards on the use of force, among other things.
For his part, Pau Pérez Sales, clinical director of Sira, dedicated his speech to those points related to the rehabilitation of the victims. The Plan specifies the need for (1) Public aid for comprehensive rehabilitation; (2) Modification of the victim's status; and (3) the need for a specific compensation scale for victims of institutional violence: "Currently, scales such as those for traffic accidents are still sometimes used, which do not at all reflect the psychological damage and the impact that these situations have on the victims.".
The event was attended by Irene Urango, Irídia's Advocacy Coordinator; Anja Bienert, of Amnesty International The Netherlands; Matthew McEvoy of Omega Research Foundation, Jorge del Cura, member of the Coordinator for the Prevention and Reporting of Torture (CPDT) and Sara López and Pau Pérez Sales, members of the technical team of the Sira Center.
The group also held a meeting with various members of the Interior Committee, to whom they explained the different points of the Action Plan.
Meeting with the members of the Interior Committee. Irídia