Peter Ouko: From death row to law graduate
פיטר אוקו: מנידון למוות לבוגר בית ספר למשפטים
Pete Ouko champions access to justice for inmates and the indolent in Africa. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
interior designer,
due to a broken-down judicial system.
בשל מערכת משפט קלוקלת.
he didn't commit
the victim who actually died in the murder
הקרבן שמת ברצח הזה
sentenced to prison
eight by seven,
שמונה על שבעה מטרים,
that Manson would have been living in.
than the eight-by-seven cell.
בגודל שבעה על שמונה מטרים.
as he awaited the executioner --
כשהוא חיכה לתליין --
he did not have a name --
לא היה לו שם --
the next minute,
that Manson faced,
שניצבו בפני מנסון,
going to play the victim.
that had put him behind bars.
שהציבה אותו מאחרי סורג ובריח.
he could change that justice system
בה יוכל לשנות את מערכת המשפט
when he decided to embrace forgiveness
כשהחליט לאמץ אל ליבו את הסלחנות
going to be a victim anymore.
change a system
younger inmates every day
in prison, my fellow inmates,
עמיתיי למתקן הכליאה,
to the justice system,
that had been set up
if I may use that word --
אם אוכל להשתמש במילה הזו --
graduate from the UK,
of his colleagues from university
קולגות מהאוניברסיטה
באבטחה גבוהה קאמיטי,
of the 15 worst prisons in the world.
הגרועים בעולם.
we were on death row.
שהיינו נידונים למוות.
from the university
with the latest technology
בעזרת הטכנולוגיה החדשה ביותר
to very good standards
לסטנדרטים טובים מאוד.
have to die in indignity.
and the support,
ואת התמיכה,
at the University of London.
באוניברסיטת לונדון.
studied from South Africa,
at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.
באבטחה גבוהה קאמיטי.
from within the prison system.
בתוך כתלי בית הסוהר.
the helpless victim.
not only to assist myself,
that have just been spoken about here.
ששוחחנו עליו מקודם.
legal briefs for them.
we did as much as we could.
עשינו כמה שיכלנו.
at the African Prisons Project
in the Kenya Prison Service
בשירות בתי הסוהר של קניה
through distance learning.
בלמידה מרחוק.
who are being motivated
שמקבלים מוטיבציה
the most indolent in society,
and others get access to justice.
something kept stirring me.
משהו המשיך לעורר אותי.
kept hitting me.
המשיכו להכות בי.
"Pete, if you can't fly,
"פיט, אם אתה לא יכול לעוף,
to keep moving in whatever I do.
להתקדם בכל מה שאני עושה.
we can change our society,
בה נוכל לשנות את החברה שלנו,
the justice system --
in our country --
after 18 years in prison,
לאחר 18 שנים בכלא,
on presidential pardon.
the African Prisons Project --
"פרויקט בתי הכלא האפריקאי" --
of training and setting up
and legal college behind bars.
הראשון בתוך בית כלא.
inmates and staff
wider society of the poor
הרחבה יותר
that we can all reexamine ourselves,
לבחון מחדש את עצמנו,
את הסיטואציות שלנו,
את הנסיבות שלנו
will not take us anywhere.
by the peaceful revolutionaries
the world needs you today.
העולם צריך אתכם היום.
each and every single one of you here,
כל אחת ואחד מכם כאן,
changemakers, innovators,
we have at TED,
of Martin Luther King.
in your heart and your life.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Peter Ouko - Prison reform advocatePete Ouko champions access to justice for inmates and the indolent in Africa.
Why you should listen
Twenty years ago, Peter Ouko walked into a police station in Kenya seeking answers to the circumstances under which his wife had been found murdered and the body dumped next to the police station fence. Unbeknown to him, the hunter would soon find himself as the hunted, and in a journey through the then broken down judicial system, he found himself convicted and sent to the gallows for a crime he maintains he did not commit.
Instead of bitterness, Ouko decided to forgive his tormentors and make the best of his time in prison, becoming the first inmate to graduate with a University of London Diploma in Law while behind bars. He is currently in his final year as an LLB student in the same University.
In his dual role as an Ambassador of the African Prisons Project and Founder of the Youth Safety Awareness Initiative, Ouko today champions access to justice for inmates and the indolent in society while using social enterprise to advocate for a crime free world. His goal: to demystify justice and have a crime free world underpinned by the rule of the law.
Peter Ouko | Speaker | TED.com