STORY: Somalia inaugurates a new prison and court

complex
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SOURCE: UNSOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
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CREDIT REQUIRED: UNSOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
LANGUAGE: SOMALI/ENGLISH NATS
DATELINE: 23/FEBRUARY/2019, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide shot, a police band playing at the Inauguration of Mogadishu Prison and
Court Complex ceremony in Mogadishu
2. Close up shot, banner
3. Close up shot, custodial corps flag
4. Close up shot, Somalia National flag
5. Close up shot, custodial corps parade commander welcoming the Prime Minister
Khaire
6. Med shot, Prime Minister Khaire and Commissioner of Prisons, Gen. Bashir
Mohamed Jama observe the parade
7. Wide shot, police band performing at the inauguration
8. Wide shot, Ambassador of Denmark to Somalia, Mette Knudsen and Regional
Representative, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Amado de
Andres at the inauguration ceremony
9. Close up shot, Director, United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM)
Rule of Law and Security Institutions Group (ROLSIG), Marco Camignani at the
inauguration ceremony
10. Wide shot, custodial corps officers marching
11. Med shot, custodial corps officers marching
12. Close up shot, a Somali National Army officer on guard at the event
13. Establishment shot, custodial corps officers marching
14. Wide shot, Mogadishu Prison and Court Complex
15. Wide shot, Prison and Court Complex building
16. Med shot, Prison and Court Complex building
17. Med shot, Prime Minister Khaire and Ambassador of Denmark to Somalia, Mette
Knudsen cutting the Inaugural tape
18. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Hassan Ali Khaire, Prime Minister of Somalia
“I hope this facility will benefit those who have been misled to do wrong and will
also make the work of the judiciary and the custodial corps easier. We thank our
development partners and hope we will work together in other projects, similar to
this one, which are tangible and will benefit the people of Somalia.”

19. Med shot, Prime Minister Khaire and other officials touring the facility
20. Med shot, Prime Minister Khaire inside one of the dormitories
21. Med shot, a dormitory
22. Med shot, Prime Minister Khaire and Commissioner of Prisons, Gen. Bashir
Mohamed Jama
23. Wide shot, dormitories
24. Med shot, washing area
25. Close up shot, Prime Minister Hassan Khaire and Ambassador of Denmark to
Somalia, Mette Knudsen
26. SOUNDBITE: (English) Amado De Andres, Regional Representative of the United
Nation Office on Drugs and Crime
“Without peace, stability, effective, accountable, transparent institutions and
effective governance based on the rule of law, we cannot hope for true sustainable
development for all.”

27. Wide shot, Regional Representative, UNODC ROEA, Amado de Andres,

Ambassador of Denmark to Somalia, Mette Knudsen and Prime Minister of Somalia,
Hassan Khaire
28, SOUNDBITE: (English) Amado De Andres, Regional Representative of the United
Nation Office on Drugs and Crime
“Along with the impressive buildings we have seen today, comes the technical
assistance and advisory services and training support that the Chief Justice and the
Attorney General require to ensure that the trials are fair and efficient and that the
Commissioner of Prisons requires to ensure his prisoners are kept in secure and
humane conditions.”

29. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mette Knudsen, Ambassador of Denmark to Somalia

“We believe that the MPCC [Mogadishu Prison and Court Complex] has
transformational potential for Somalia when it comes to the rule of law, countering
terrorism and preventing violent extremism. Moreover, it will set new standards for
human rights compliance in Somali prisons. In that sense, I am very confident that
this facility will constitute another piece of the puzzle towards peace and stability in
Somalia.”

30. Wide shot, Mogadishu Prison and Court Complex

Somalia inaugurates a new prison and court complex

Mogadishu, 23 February 2019 - Somalia’s justice and corrections system received a

significant boost with today’s inauguration of the newly opened Mogadishu Prison
and Court Complex (MPCC) at a ceremony that was attended by top federal
government officials and international development partners.

The complex will provide the judiciary with the necessary infrastructure to conduct
trials in a safe and secure environment for judicial and prison staff as well as criminal
suspects.

“I hope this facility will serve those who have been misled and will ease the work of
judicial officers and people working in the corrections sector,” said Somalia’s Prime
Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire, during the ceremony which was held in the Somali
capital.

The event was also attended by Somalia’s Commissioner of Prisons, Gen. Bashir
Mohamed Jama, the Danish Ambassador to Somalia, Mette Knudsen; the Director of
the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Group of the United Nations Assistance
Mission in Somalia, Marco Carmignani, the Regional Representative of the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Amado De Andres, and the Head of the
Somalia Programme of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Sayed
Farooqui.

The complex, which has been under construction since December 2015, is part of a
major project that is being implemented in three phases by UNODC with the support
of UNOPS. It is funded by the governments of Denmark, the Netherlands and the
United Kingdom.

Phase one of the project has been completed and comprises a courtroom, a 250-bed
high-security prison block, and accommodation for judges, prosecutors and lawyers
during the trial process.

Work is already underway on the second phase, which will involve the construction
of more prison blocks and a second courtroom.

Mr. De Andres noted that the project is part of an initiative by the Federal
Government of Somalia to tackle terrorism and organized crime and advance the
country’s ongoing efforts to consolidate peace, stability and good governance.
“Without peace, stability, effective, accountable and transparent institutions and
effective governance based on the rule of law, we cannot hope for true sustainable
development for all,” he said.
In addition to building a facility that is compliant with the UN Standard Minimum
Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, UNODC will also provide technical assistance
and training to judicial staff to ensure that trials are fair and efficient.

Ambassador Knudsen noted that the MPCC also offers Somalia a promising
opportunity to deepen the rule of law and curb crime.

“We believe that the MPCC has transformational potential for Somalia when it
comes to the rule of law, countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism,”
she stated.

The ambassador said the facility will set new standards for human rights compliance
in Somali prisons and expressed optimism that the MPCC will facilitate the transfer
of high-risk suspects from military courts to the new complex.

The inauguration ceremony coincided with the 49th anniversary of the founding of
Somalia’s Custodial Corps.