7/28/2019 G4S accused of holding South African prisoners in isolation illegally by Ruth Hopkins.pdf

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International

The Guardian | Wednesday 29 May 2013 17

US to confront China over cyber-attacks

G4S accused of holding South African prisoners in isolation illegally

French reportcalls for ban one-cigarettes inpublic places

Hackers may have gainedaccess to weapon systems

Issue on agenda for nextweeks California summit

Ewen MacAskill New York

Barack Obama will confront his Chinesecounterpart Xi Jinping next week over aspate of cyber-attacks on the US, includ-ing the latest allegation that Chinese hack-ers gained access to more than two dozenof Americas most advanced weaponssystems.

The alleged attacks are the most seri-ous of a series of issues creating friction

between the US and China ahead of nextweeks summit in California. Military ana-lysts described the scale of the allegedhack as breathtaking.

The Chinese government denies anyinvolvement in the attacks. But a classi-fied report by the Defence Science Board,a group of civilian and government special-

ists who advise the Pentagon on militarydevelopments, says advanced weaponssystems compromised by hackers includemissiles, jets, helicopters and naval ships.A leaked copy was published by the Wash-ington Post yesterday.

Access to the designs would allow Chinato catch up on years of military develop-ment and save it billions of dollars. Itwould also make it easier for China todevelop weapons to counter US systems.

The Defence Science Board reportcomes amid a spate of ac cusations world-wide claiming Beijing is engaged in a sus-tained campaign of hacking defence and

business secrets. In a sepa rate row, Chi-

nese hackers are alleged to have stolenthe blueprints for Australias new spyheadquarters.

Asked about the alleged hacking ofsecret military projects, White Housespokesman Jay Carney said cybersecuritywould be discussed by the two presidentswhen they meet at the US-China summiton June 7 and 8.

He declined to comment directly on thereport, but said cyber-issues were a keyconcern for the US.

The summit, at a private estate in south-ern California, is the first between the twosince Xi was promoted to president andsince Obamas re-election in the US.

The White House national securityadviser, Tom Donilon, who is in Beijing fordiscussions with Chinese officials aboutthe summit, has warned that cyber-attackscould jeopardise relations between thetwo countries.

Dean Cheng, a China specialist at the

conservative Heritage Foundation inWashington, said the summit offers anopportunity to make clear to Beijing theserious consequences of its cyber-activi-ties. The question is whether the Obamaadministration will seize it.

A broad warning about cybersecuritycontained in the report was publishedin January, but the details about militaryprogrammes alleged to have been hackedremained classified.

Projects named in the report include:the advanced Patriot missile system, thePAC-3; the F/A-18 fighter jet; the LittoralCombat Ship intended for use close toshore; and an anti-ballistic missile system,the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence.The Patriot missile system offers the main

defence against missile attacks on Europe,Israel, the Persian Gulf and US allies inAsia. The report does not blame the Chi-nese government, only Chinese hackers.

In a CBS interview Winslow Wheeler,who monitors defence spending at theProject on Government Oversight, a Wash-ington thinktank, described the projectsas the US militarys family jewels.

Cybersecurity will also be discussed ata meeting in Singapore this weekend of

defence ministers and officials, includingthe US defence secretary, Chuck Hagel.

In Canberra the Australian foreignminister, Bob Carr, said claims that Chi-nese hackers stole top-secret blueprints

of the Australian spy agency Asios newheadquarters would not threaten bilat-eral ties.

Carr refused to confirm reports thatthe hackers took documents containingdetails of the buildings floor plan, com-munications cabling layouts, server loca-tions and security systems.

The Asio buildings construction hadbeen pla gued by de lays and ballooningcosts, with builders blaming late changesmade to the internal design in response tocyber-attacks.

Chinese telecommunications giantHuawei was barred from bidding last yearfor construction contracts on the national

broadband network amid fears of cyber-espionage.

Carr said the government was veryalive to emerging cybersecurity threats,

but said: I wont comment on matters ofintelligence and security for the obviousreason: we dont want to share with the

world and potential aggressors what weknow about what they might be doing,and how they might be doing it.

China shrugged off the allegations,describing them as groundless.

China pays high attention to cyber-security issues, and is firmly opposed toall forms of hacker attacks, the foreignministry spokesman, Hong Lei, said.Groundless accusations will not helpsolve this issue.

The French Republican Guard perform for the Duchess of Cornwall in Paris to support the homelessness charity Emmaus Photograph: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Horse show French display for duchess

Some type to go inhere relating to theelement opposite.Could be quoteor caption Sometype to go in hererelating

Angelique Chrisafis Paris

Famous French smokers including theactor Catherine Deneuve and the novelistenfant terribleMichel Houellebecq have

both publicly puffed on fake plastic slimswhile trying to give up smoking and retaina modicum of cool. But Frances love affairwith electronic cigarettes could be aboutto hit a stumbling block as the governmentconsiders banning them from all publicplaces, including restaurants and bars.

The battery-powered devices, whichlet users inhale a vaporised liquid nicotinesolution instead of tobacco smoke, are thesubject of a medical report commissioned

by the French health ministry and deliv-ered yesterday.

The nation of Gauloises and Gitanesshows a growing dependence on electroniccigarettes, which were first produced in

China in 2004 and allow smokers to get anicotine fix without exposing themselvesor others to the tar and carbon monoxidein tobacco smoke. Industry statistics showat least 500,000 people smoke e-cigarettesin France, but Bertrand Dautzenberg, theprofessor who led the report, suggestedthe figure could as high as 1 million in amarket reportedly worth 100m (85m)and with about 150 specialist shops.

The medical experts recommended thate-cigarettes should be subject to the samerestrictions as tobacco. France outlawedsmoking in the workplace, including barsand restaurants, during 2007 and 2008.Doctors also want the sale of e-cigarettesto under-18s to be banned, warning thatthe electronic devices could be a poten-tial gateway to smoking tobacco.

A recent study in Paris found that 64%of teenagers aged up to 14 who had triedan electronic cigarette had not smoked areal one beforehand. A growing numberof UK secondary schools have reportedly

begun to ban e-cigarettes over fears theylead to tobacco smoking .

Other recommendations in the Frenchreport include enforcing the same advertis-ing rules as on regular cigarettes, warningagainst their use by pregnant or breastfeed-ing women and allowing them to be soldonly at approved places. Manufacturerswould have to make the case scientificallythat the ingredients used are harmless.

Although e-cigarettes are consideredsafer than smoking, doctors continue todebate the possible impact of some of thevapours ingredients, including propyl-ene glycol, which irritates airways, andformaldehyde, which is known to raiselung and nasal cancer risk. They say moreresearch is needed. Countries includingTurkey, Brazil, Argentina and Singaporehave outlawed e-cigarettes.

Last year, Frances state auditor warnedthat successive efforts to curb smoking,from the 1991 law that bars and restau-

rants had to have smoke-free areas to the2007 ban on smoking in the workplace,had failed to make the nation cut down.

The proportion of smokers fell from 34%to 31% between 2000 and 2005, but roseagain to more than 33% by 2010. Women,young people and those in financial dif-ficulty showed the steepest rise. About73,000 tobacco-related deaths are reportedin France each year. The state auditor hassaid that only major price increases wouldcurb French smoking habits.

Ruth Hopkins Johannesburg

A South African prison run by the embat-tled British security firm G4S is illegally

holding inmates in isolation for up to threeyears and denying them life-saving medi-cation, according to a confidential SouthAfrican government report.

The report lists 62 inmates who weredetained in single cells for periods rang-ing from two weeks to three years, againstprison rules. Two of them were not givenessential TB and HIV medication dur-ing their solitary confinement, it says. Arecent visit to the prison in Bloemfontein

by the Wits Justice Project suggested thepractice was continuing.

Inmate Ouba Mabalane told the projectthat he had been held in solitary confine-ment in Mangaung prison from 23 Novem-

ber 2 006 to 7 Novemb er 20 09 with outaccess to television, radio or rehabilita-tion programmes. He was allowed out of

his cell for one hour a day. The isolationdrove me insane, Mabalane said, add-ing that he tried to kill himself in 2009. Ididnt like being alone all day. He said hehad been held in a dark cell with sparse

lighting and just a small window to let insome sunlight.

G4S is best known in the UK for bun-gling a contract to provide security at theLondon Olympics, forcing organisers to

bring in the army at the last minute.In South Africa the isolation of inmates is

an unpleasant echo of the countrys apart-heid past, when political prisoners wereregularly detained in single cells for years.The Pan Africanist Congress leader RobertSobukwe, for example, was held in a solitarycell on Robben Island for nine years.

These days it is illegal to segregate pris-oners as punishment. The practice can

be imposed under certain conditions, forexample if the prisoner is considered anescape risk or a threat to other inmates, ormay be at risk of violence in a shared cell,

but must be reported to prison inspectors.For it to be legal, the inmate has to be vis-ited by a nurse, psychologist or medicalpractitioner every day. According to thereport the prison management ignored

these stipulations.Mabalane said he was told he was being

held in a single cell because his life was atrisk from violent gangs, although his isola-tion was not reported as required.

A recent visit to the Bloemfonteinprison revealed that Ishmael Mohlomi wasdetained in a single cell from 22 November2012 to 22 April this year, while JosephMonaise was placed in isolation after

being involved in a ho stage situation atthe prison in November. They told methey would detain me in that cell for twoyears, he said. He remains in isolation.

In a letter to the inspectorate, the gov-ernment controller at the prison, Clem-ent Motsapi, said the three inmates hadnot been segregated but placed underhigh care a form of detention that also

requires reporting. In April inspectorsfrom the judicial inspectorate for cor-rectional services contacted the prisonmanagement to ask for further informa-tion on the isolation of inmates. In cor-

respondence seen by the Guardian themanagement fails to explain the practice,although it is legally required to do so.

Umesh Raga, of the judicial inspector-ate, said: It appears that the contractor(G4S) and the controller (a governmentofficial at the prison) need to sit aroundthe table and address the question ofresponsibility and accountability to theinspectorate. On the one hand we are pro-vided with information in respect of threeinmates; the balance of the 62 is simplynot addressed. We reiterate our requestfor comment/explanation.

G4S told the Guardian that the con-troller at Mangaung prison had approvedthe detention of inmates in single cells.Inspectors from the office of the judicialinspectorate visit the Mangaung correc-

tional centre on a regular basis, a state-ment said. They have the opportunityto visit the different housing units and tocommunicate with inmates. The Correc-tional Services Act specifies that inmates

that pose a security risk must be detainedand monitored in more stringent regimes.These inmates may be detained in a singlecell as per their security classification.

The controller at Mangaung correc-tional centre is employed by the depart-ment of correctional services to ensure thatG4S Correction Services adheres to andoperates according to approved policiesand procedures. The detention of inmatesin single cells at Mangaung correctionalcentre is approved by the controller.

The company said it was not its policyto deny inmates access to TB or HIV medi-cation, and that there were no dark cellswith sparse lighting, as claimed.

Ruth Hopkins is a member of the journal-ism department at the University of theWitwatersrand

Barack Obama and Chinese counterpartXi Jinping will discuss cyber-security

US to confront China over cyber-attacks

G4S accused of holding South African prisoners in isolation illegally

French reportcalls for ban one-cigarettes inpublic places

Hackers may have gainedaccess to weapon systems

Issue on agenda for nextweeks California summit

Ewen MacAskill New York

Barack Obama will confront his Chinesecounterpart Xi Jinping next week over aspate of cyber-attacks on the US, includ-ing the latest allegation that Chinese hack-ers gained access to more than two dozenof Americas most advanced weaponssystems.

The alleged attacks are the most seri-ous of a series of issues creating friction

between the US and China ahead of nextweeks summit in California. Military ana-lysts described the scale of the allegedhack as breathtaking.

The Chinese government denies anyinvolvement in the attacks. But a classi-fied report by the Defence Science Board,a group of civilian and government special-

ists who advise the Pentagon on militarydevelopments, says advanced weaponssystems compromised by hackers includemissiles, jets, helicopters and naval ships.A leaked copy was published by the Wash-ington Post yesterday.

Access to the designs would allow Chinato catch up on years of military develop-ment and save it billions of dollars. Itwould also make it easier for China todevelop weapons to counter US systems.

The Defence Science Board reportcomes amid a spate of ac cusations world-wide claiming Beijing is engaged in a sus-tained campaign of hacking defence and

business secrets. In a sepa rate row, Chi-

nese hackers are alleged to have stolenthe blueprints for Australias new spyheadquarters.

Asked about the alleged hacking ofsecret military projects, White Housespokesman Jay Carney said cybersecuritywould be discussed by the two presidentswhen they meet at the US-China summiton June 7 and 8.

He declined to comment directly on thereport, but said cyber-issues were a keyconcern for the US.

The summit, at a private estate in south-ern California, is the first between the twosince Xi was promoted to president andsince Obamas re-election in the US.

The White House national securityadviser, Tom Donilon, who is in Beijing fordiscussions with Chinese officials aboutthe summit, has warned that cyber-attackscould jeopardise relations between thetwo countries.

Dean Cheng, a China specialist at the

conservative Heritage Foundation inWashington, said the summit offers anopportunity to make clear to Beijing theserious consequences of its cyber-activi-ties. The question is whether the Obamaadministration will seize it.

A broad warning about cybersecuritycontained in the report was publishedin January, but the details about militaryprogrammes alleged to have been hackedremained classified.

Projects named in the report include:the advanced Patriot missile system, thePAC-3; the F/A-18 fighter jet; the LittoralCombat Ship intended for use close toshore; and an anti-ballistic missile system,the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence.The Patriot missile system offers the main

defence against missile attacks on Europe,Israel, the Persian Gulf and US allies inAsia. The report does not blame the Chi-nese government, only Chinese hackers.

In a CBS interview Winslow Wheeler,who monitors defence spending at theProject on Government Oversight, a Wash-ington thinktank, described the projectsas the US militarys family jewels.

Cybersecurity will also be discussed ata meeting in Singapore this weekend of

defence ministers and officials, includingthe US defence secretary, Chuck Hagel.

In Canberra the Australian foreignminister, Bob Carr, said claims that Chi-nese hackers stole top-secret blueprints

of the Australian spy agency Asios newheadquarters would not threaten bilat-eral ties.

Carr refused to confirm reports thatthe hackers took documents containingdetails of the buildings floor plan, com-munications cabling layouts, server loca-tions and security systems.

The Asio buildings construction hadbeen pla gued by de lays and ballooningcosts, with builders blaming late changesmade to the internal design in response tocyber-attacks.

Chinese telecommunications giantHuawei was barred from bidding last yearfor construction contracts on the national

broadband network amid fears of cyber-espionage.

Carr said the government was veryalive to emerging cybersecurity threats,

but said: I wont comment on matters ofintelligence and security for the obviousreason: we dont want to share with the

world and potential aggressors what weknow about what they might be doing,and how they might be doing it.

China shrugged off the allegations,describing them as groundless.

China pays high attention to cyber-security issues, and is firmly opposed toall forms of hacker attacks, the foreignministry spokesman, Hong Lei, said.Groundless accusations will not helpsolve this issue.

The French Republican Guard perform for the Duchess of Cornwall in Paris to support the homelessness charity Emmaus Photograph: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Horse show French display for duchess

Some type to go inhere relating to theelement opposite.Could be quoteor caption Sometype to go in hererelating

Angelique Chrisafis Paris

Famous French smokers including theactor Catherine Deneuve and the novelistenfant terribleMichel Houellebecq have

both publicly puffed on fake plastic slimswhile trying to give up smoking and retaina modicum of cool. But Frances love affairwith electronic cigarettes could be aboutto hit a stumbling block as the governmentconsiders banning them from all publicplaces, including restaurants and bars.

The battery-powered devices, whichlet users inhale a vaporised liquid nicotinesolution instead of tobacco smoke, are thesubject of a medical report commissioned

by the French health ministry and deliv-ered yesterday.

The nation of Gauloises and Gitanesshows a growing dependence on electroniccigarettes, which were first produced in

China in 2004 and allow smokers to get anicotine fix without exposing themselvesor others to the tar and carbon monoxidein tobacco smoke. Industry statistics showat least 500,000 people smoke e-cigarettesin France, but Bertrand Dautzenberg, theprofessor who led the report, suggestedthe figure could as high as 1 million in amarket reportedly worth 100m (85m)and with about 150 specialist shops.

The medical experts recommended thate-cigarettes should be subject to the samerestrictions as tobacco. France outlawedsmoking in the workplace, including barsand restaurants, during 2007 and 2008.Doctors also want the sale of e-cigarettesto under-18s to be banned, warning thatthe electronic devices could be a poten-tial gateway to smoking tobacco.

A recent study in Paris found that 64%of teenagers aged up to 14 who had triedan electronic cigarette had not smoked areal one beforehand. A growing numberof UK secondary schools have reportedly

begun to ban e-cigarettes over fears theylead to tobacco smoking .

Other recommendations in the Frenchreport include enforcing the same advertis-ing rules as on regular cigarettes, warningagainst their use by pregnant or breastfeed-ing women and allowing them to be soldonly at approved places. Manufacturerswould have to make the case scientificallythat the ingredients used are harmless.

Although e-cigarettes are consideredsafer than smoking, doctors continue todebate the possible impact of some of thevapours ingredients, including propyl-ene glycol, which irritates airways, andformaldehyde, which is known to raiselung and nasal cancer risk. They say moreresearch is needed. Countries includingTurkey, Brazil, Argentina and Singaporehave outlawed e-cigarettes.

Last year, Frances state auditor warnedthat successive efforts to curb smoking,from the 1991 law that bars and restau-

rants had to have smoke-free areas to the2007 ban on smoking in the workplace,had failed to make the nation cut down.

The proportion of smokers fell from 34%to 31% between 2000 and 2005, but roseagain to more than 33% by 2010. Women,young people and those in financial dif-ficulty showed the steepest rise. About73,000 tobacco-related deaths are reportedin France each year. The state auditor hassaid that only major price increases wouldcurb French smoking habits.

Ruth Hopkins Johannesburg

A South African prison run by the embat-tled British security firm G4S is illegally

holding inmates in isolation for up to threeyears and denying them life-saving medi-cation, according to a confidential SouthAfrican government report.

The report lists 62 inmates who weredetained in single cells for periods rang-ing from two weeks to three years, againstprison rules. Two of them were not givenessential TB and HIV medication dur-ing their solitary confinement, it says. Arecent visit to the prison in Bloemfontein

by the Wits Justice Project suggested thepractice was continuing.

Inmate Ouba Mabalane told the projectthat he had been held in solitary confine-ment in Mangaung prison from 23 Novem-

ber 2 006 to 7 Novemb er 20 09 with outaccess to television, radio or rehabilita-tion programmes. He was allowed out of

his cell for one hour a day. The isolationdrove me insane, Mabalane said, add-ing that he tried to kill himself in 2009. Ididnt like being alone all day. He said hehad been held in a dark cell with sparse

lighting and just a small window to let insome sunlight.

G4S is best known in the UK for bun-gling a contract to provide security at theLondon Olympics, forcing organisers to

bring in the army at the last minute.In South Africa the isolation of inmates is

an unpleasant echo of the countrys apart-heid past, when political prisoners wereregularly detained in single cells for years.The Pan Africanist Congress leader RobertSobukwe, for example, was held in a solitarycell on Robben Island for nine years.

These days it is illegal to segregate pris-oners as punishment. The practice can

be imposed under certain conditions, forexample if the prisoner is considered anescape risk or a threat to other inmates, ormay be at risk of violence in a shared cell,

but must be reported to prison inspectors.For it to be legal, the inmate has to be vis-ited by a nurse, psychologist or medicalpractitioner every day. According to thereport the prison management ignored

these stipulations.Mabalane said he was told he was being

held in a single cell because his life was atrisk from violent gangs, although his isola-tion was not reported as required.

A recent visit to the Bloemfonteinprison revealed that Ishmael Mohlomi wasdetained in a single cell from 22 November2012 to 22 April this year, while JosephMonaise was placed in isolation after

being involved in a ho stage situation atthe prison in November. They told methey would detain me in that cell for twoyears, he said. He remains in isolation.

In a letter to the inspectorate, the gov-ernment controller at the prison, Clem-ent Motsapi, said the three inmates hadnot been segregated but placed underhigh care a form of detention that also

requires reporting. In April inspectorsfrom the judicial inspectorate for cor-rectional services contacted the prisonmanagement to ask for further informa-tion on the isolation of inmates. In cor-

respondence seen by the Guardian themanagement fails to explain the practice,although it is legally required to do so.

Umesh Raga, of the judicial inspector-ate, said: It appears that the contractor(G4S) and the controller (a governmentofficial at the prison) need to sit aroundthe table and address the question ofresponsibility and accountability to theinspectorate. On the one hand we are pro-vided with information in respect of threeinmates; the balance of the 62 is simplynot addressed. We reiterate our requestfor comment/explanation.

G4S told the Guardian that the con-troller at Mangaung prison had approvedthe detention of inmates in single cells.Inspectors from the office of the judicialinspectorate visit the Mangaung correc-

tional centre on a regular basis, a state-ment said. They have the opportunityto visit the different housing units and tocommunicate with inmates. The Correc-tional Services Act specifies that inmates

that pose a security risk must be detainedand monitored in more stringent regimes.These inmates may be detained in a singlecell as per their security classification.

The controller at Mangaung correc-tional centre is employed by the depart-ment of correctional services to ensure thatG4S Correction Services adheres to andoperates according to approved policiesand procedures. The detention of inmatesin single cells at Mangaung correctionalcentre is approved by the controller.

The company said it was not its policyto deny inmates access to TB or HIV medi-cation, and that there were no dark cellswith sparse lighting, as claimed.

Ruth Hopkins is a member of the journal-ism department at the University of theWitwatersrand

Barack Obama and Chinese counterpartXi Jinping will discuss cyber-security