News 2025
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) deplores overcrowding and violence in prisons in Guadeloupe and French Guiana (France)
In the course of this fourth visit to the French overseas territories, the CPT visited 19 police and gendarmerie establishments, three prisons and three hospitals (see full list below) in November and December 2023. The vast majority of persons interviewed made no allegations of ill-treatment by...
The Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) holds high-level talks in Latvia
The main objective of the talks was to discuss the action taken by the Government to address the long-standing recommendations regarding inter-prisoner violence and the influence of the informal prisoner hierarchy. The CPT’s report on its May 2024 visit, published on 26 February 2025 with the...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on its 2024 ad hoc visit to Latvia
The purpose of this visit was to examine the treatment of persons held in prisons and to follow up on the situation found there in the 2022 visit. More specifically, the visiting delegation considered the measures taken by the Latvian authorities in response to the long-standing CPT...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits Greece to examine conditions of detention in prisons and police establishments
The purpose of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons deprived of their liberty in Greek prisons and by the Hellenic Police. The visit was an opportunity to review the progress made by the authorities in implementing the Committee’s recommendations in...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee returns to Georgia to complete its periodic visit
The visit was an opportunity for the CPT to assess the treatment of persons remanded in custody at Penitentiary Establishment No. 8 in Gldani (Tbilisi) in relation to the demonstrations which have been ongoing since 29 November 2024. Further, the CPT delegation met the leadership of the Special...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on 2024 visit to Norway
No allegations were received of physical ill-treatment of prisoners by staff in the prisons visited. On the contrary, the Norwegian prison system continued to benefit from a well-trained and motivated staff. It is also positive that the material conditions in the prisons visited were mostly...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits Denmark (Greenland)
The purpose of the visit was to examine the conditions of detention, regime and treatment of persons accommodated in the closed unit (Unit A) of the new prison in Nuuk (Ny Anstalt). Brought into service in 2019, it is the only prison establishment in Greenland which has a closed unit. Previously,...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) holds high-level talks on prisons and psychiatry in Denmark
The meetings provided an opportunity to discuss long-standing issues, such as prison overcrowding and material conditions, in particular access to toilets in prison, regimes for remand and high-security prisoners, staffing levels and training. Healthcare, including medical screening on arrival...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on 2024 visit to Switzerland
As regards the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by the police, the CPT once again received allegations of physical ill-treatment and excessive use of force, including biting by police dogs, truncheon blows, headbutts, punches and kicks, as well as violent tackling to the ground....
Review of 2024 activities and upcoming visits for 2025
Prison overcrowding and its nefarious consequences, which include violence, lack of activities and poor living conditions, remain a real problem in more and more countries. The legacy of informal prisoner hierarchies has not yet been overcome in the prison systems of countries of the former...
Preventing torture in Europe
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