Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) holds high-level talks in North Macedonia on prisons

10/10/2024

The Prime Minister was briefed on the dire situation in Idrizovo Prison, where the conditions of detention remain appalling for hundreds of prisoners. The issues highlighted in the CPT report on the October 2023 visit regarding this and other prisons in the country, such as lack of staff,...

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The Council of Europe's anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits France

08/10/2024

The delegation visited four large prison establishments experiencing severe challenges linked to overcrowding. The treatment, material conditions and regime applied to remand and sentenced persons were examined in these establishments. Particular attention was also paid to the situation of women...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes the response of the authorities of North Macedonia to the report on the 2023 visit

04/10/2024

The visit focused on the treatment of persons deprived of liberty by the police, including the effectiveness of investigations into complaints of alleged police ill-treatment, and on the conditions of detention of persons held in four prison establishments and one juvenile educational centre. It...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes the response of the Albanian authorities to the report on the 2023 visit

03/10/2024

The main objective of the visit was to review the treatment and conditions of detention of persons held in police custody and in prisons. A further focus of the visit was the situation of forensic psychiatric patients and prisoners with mental disorders. The CPT delegation also examined, for the...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its 2023 periodic visit to Estonia

26/09/2024

The main objective of the visit was to review the measures taken by the Estonian authorities in response to the recommendations made by the Committee after previous visits. In this connection, particular attention was paid to the treatment and conditions of detention of persons in police custody...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) carries out an ad hoc visit to Bulgaria

24/09/2024

The objective of the visit was to assess the implementation of the CPT’s long-standing recommendations concerning the treatment and conditions of detention of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty pursuant to aliens legislation. These related to the inadequate material conditions,...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) carries out a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina

17/09/2024

The main objective of the periodic visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty, notably as regards persons apprehended and detained by various police agencies at the State, Entity and Cantonal levels. The visit was also an opportunity to...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on its 2024 ad hoc visit to Lithuania

18/07/2024

The objective of the visit was to examine the implementation of the recommendations of the Committee formulated in the report on the periodic visit carried out in 2021, in particular as regards widespread inter-prisoner violence as well as the abundance of illegal drugs in prisons combined with a...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) again calls on Greece to reform its immigration detention system and stop pushbacks

12/07/2024

The main objective of the November 2023 visit to Greece was to examine the treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty under immigration legislation in pre-removal detention centres, in police and border guard stations and in the newly built Closed Controlled Access Centres on the...

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The CPT held its 114th plenary meeting in July 2024

05/07/2024

During this meeting, the CPT adopted the reports on its periodic visit to the Slovak Republic (November-December 2023) and on its ad hoc visits to France overseas (French Guiana and Guadeloupe) (November-December 2023), Italy (April 2024), Lithuania (February 2024), Switzerland (March 2024) and...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee issues public statement on Azerbaijan

03/07/2024

The reason behind this exceptional decision to make a public statement is the outright refusal of the Azerbaijani authorities to cooperate with the CPT. The Committee made genuine attempts to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities to address matters that lie at the...

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International Day in Support of Victims of Torture: interview with Hugh Chetwynd, Executive Secretary of the CPT

26/06/2024

Co-operation, confidentiality and dialogue: the pillars of the CPT. For Hugh Chetwynd, cooperation, confidentiality and dialogue are essential to the success of the CPT's mission. “Our purpose is to realise that there are no perfect systems, but to help states overcome the challenges they are...

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Meeting of the CPT President and the Polish Minister of Justice to promote cooperation

10/06/2024

The meeting provided in particular an opportunity to discuss the implementation of a number of long-standing recommendations by the CPT, including those concerning the legal safeguards for persons in police custody, standard living space in Polish prisons, the regime of activities and...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) carries out a visit to Denmark

07/06/2024

In the course of the visit, the delegation examined the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons deprived of their liberty by the police as well as the treatment and conditions of detention of persons in prison, foreign nationals detained pursuant to aliens’ legislation and psychiatric...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) carries out a visit to Ireland

04/06/2024

In the course of the visit, the delegation examined the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in prison and their conditions of detention. Further, the delegation assessed the situation of persons deprived of their liberty in psychiatric hospitals and juveniles held in an educational...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) carries out a visit to Norway

03/06/2024

In the course of the visit, the delegation examined the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons deprived of their liberty by the police as well as the treatment and conditions of detention of persons in prison and at the police immigration detention centre. Further, it assessed the situation...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits Latvia

03/06/2024

The purpose of this ad hoc visit was to examine the treatment of persons held in prisons and to follow up on the situation found in the 2022 visit. More specifically, the visiting delegation considered the measures taken by the Latvian authorities in response to the long-standing CPT...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its 2023 periodic visit to Cyprus

17/05/2024

The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons in Nicosia Central Prisons and of persons held under immigration legislation, including at the Menoyia Detention Centre and the Pournara Registration Centre. The visiting delegation also examined...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on North Macedonia

15/05/2024

The visit focused on treatment by the police, including the effectiveness of investigations into complaints of alleged police ill-treatment, and on the conditions of detention of persons held in four prison establishments and one juvenile educational centre. It also examined the treatment and...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits Czechia

29/04/2024

In the course of the visit, the delegation examined the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons deprived of their liberty by the police and the treatment of persons in prison and their conditions of detention. Further, it assessed the situation of persons subjected to the measure of security...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on Ukraine

26/04/2024

The great majority of the interviewed persons who were, or had recently been, in police custody indicated that the police had treated them correctly. The Committee takes note of this positive finding, illustrating the results of efforts deployed by the Ukrainian authorities in recent years to...

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The Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) 2023 General Report focuses on the protection of transgender persons in prison

25/04/2024

The Committee underlines that this important topic is reflective of a dynamic and evolving social reality within European countries. The experience of the CPT over multiple visits is that transgender persons held in detention can be in a situation of vulnerability, at heightened risk of...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) carries out a visit to Italy

15/04/2024

The objective of the visit was to examine the treatment, conditions of detention, legal safeguards and quality of healthcare provided to foreign nationals held in four of the nine operating CPRs throughout the country. In the course of the visit, the delegation held consultations with senior...

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The Council of Europe anti-torture Committee announces periodic visits to eight countries in 2025

12/04/2024

The Committee intends to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the following countries: Azerbaijan Belgium Germany Greece Liechtenstein Montenegro Romania Spain Persons and organisations in possession of relevant information concerning the situation of persons deprived of...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on the monitoring of a Frontex-supported return operation from Germany to Pakistan

04/04/2024

The report examines the treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty under immigration legislation and the safeguards afforded to them in the context of their removal. The return flight of 5 September 2023 was organised by Germany, with the participation of three EU members states...

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Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) visits Switzerland

28/03/2024

The purpose of this visit was to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by the police and in remand detention in four cantons of the Swiss Confederation. In this context, particular attention was paid to the measures taken by the Swiss authorities in response to the...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes the response of the Luxembourg authorities to the report on the 2023 visit

15/03/2024

The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment of persons deprived of liberty by the police and of persons detained in the two closed prisons, as well as the situation of patients in several closed psychiatric units in two hospitals. Particular attention was paid to the situation of...

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The CPT held its 113th plenary meeting in March 2024

08/03/2024

During this meeting, the CPT adopted the reports on its periodic visits to Armenia (September 2023), Malta (September-October 2023), North Macedonia (October 2023) and Ukraine (October 2023) and on its ad hoc visit to examine the treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty under...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes preliminary observations on its visit to Armenia

01/03/2024

The preliminary observations are published at the request of the Armenian authorities. The report on the visit is expected to be adopted during the Committee’s forthcoming plenary meeting taking place in March in Strasbourg.   Read the preliminary observations The CPT and Armenia

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The Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits Türkiye

23/02/2024

The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment of persons held in high-security prisons. A further focus of the visit was the situation of LGBTI and women prisoners. On the occasion of the visit, the delegation also raised with the relevant authorities certain issues related to the...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits Lithuania

23/02/2024

The purpose of this ad hoc visit was to examine the treatment of persons in prisons and to follow up on the situation found in the 2021 visit. More specifically, the visit considered the measures taken by the Lithuanian authorities in response to the long-standing CPT recommendations regarding...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on Poland

22/02/2024

The main objective of the visit was to review the measures taken by the Polish authorities in response to the recommendations made by the CPT after previous visits. In this connection, particular attention was paid to the treatment and conditions of detention of persons in police custody, foreign...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) holds high-level talks in Montenegro

20/02/2024

The talks focused on the longstanding concerns of the Committee regarding the treatment of persons held by the police, accountability and effectiveness of investigations into allegations of ill-treatment. Also discussed was the system of remand detention in Montenegro, notably poor regimes and...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its 2023 ad hoc visit to the United Kingdom on immigration detention

08/02/2024

The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons held under immigration legislation, both in immigration removal centres (IRCs) and in prison establishments. The CPT found that there were many good practices being promoted in the IRCs visited to...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) holds high-level talks in Albania on forensic psychiatry

01/02/2024

The talks focused on the longstanding concerns of the Committee regarding the treatment of patients in forensic psychiatry, currently held in Shënkoll Prison in Lezha and the Prison Hospital in Tirana. The delegation was particularly keen to learn about the steps being taken to implement the...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its 2023 ad hoc visit to Bulgaria

31/01/2024

The CPT is highly critical of the lack of implementation of many of the Committee’s long-standing recommendations regarding the treatment, conditions and legal safeguards offered to patients in psychiatric hospitals. However, the CPT notes that some progress appears to be being made as regards...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its 2023 ad hoc visit to Serbia

25/01/2024

The visit focused on the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by the police and the effectiveness of investigations carried out by prosecutors and internal oversight bodies into allegations of ill-treatment by the police. The conditions of detention and treatment of remand prisoners, as...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes its report on the ad hoc visit to Georgia

18/01/2024

The focus of the visit was on the secure wards of VivaMedi Clinic in Tbilisi, where prisoners receiving inpatient treatment are accommodated. In their response, the Georgian authorities provided information on the measures taken to implement the recommendations made in the CPT’s report. The CPT...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on Albania

12/01/2024

The main objective of the CPT’s 2023 visit to Albania was to review the treatment and conditions of detention of persons held in police custody and in prisons. A further focus of the visit was the situation of forensic psychiatric patients and prisoners with a mental disorder. The CPT delegation...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits France overseas (French Guiana and Guadeloupe)

18/12/2023

During the visit, particular attention was paid to the conditions of detention of persons deprived of liberty in prisons, including remand establishments, affected by overcrowding. Further, the delegation examined the treatment and safeguards afforded to involuntary patients in psychiatric...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on Portugal

13/12/2023

The main objective of the visit was to the examine the treatment of persons apprehended by the Public Security Police (PSP) and the National Republican Guard (GNR) and to evaluate once again the effectiveness of investigations into allegations of police ill-treatment. A further focus of the visit...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits Slovakia

11/12/2023

In the course of the visit, the delegation examined the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons deprived of their liberty by the police and the treatment of persons in prison and their conditions of detention. Further, it assessed the treatment of persons placed at Hronovce Detention...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits Greece

04/12/2023

The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty under immigration legislation. The visit was also an opportunity to review the progress made by the authorities in implementing the CPT’s recommendations in relation to immigration matters...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on San Marino

30/11/2023

The CPT’s 5th periodic visit to the Republic of San Marino aimed to evaluate, based on the recommendations from the Committee’s 2013 visit, the treatment of persons held in police custody at San Marino Prison, persons subject to “compulsory medical treatment” (trattamento sanitario obbligatorio -...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its 2022 periodic visit to Croatia

23/11/2023

During the visit, the CPT delegation examined the treatment and conditions of detention of prisoners held in four prison establishments, and of criminal suspects deprived of their liberty by the Croatian police. The delegation also visited three psychiatric establishments and two social care...

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The CPT held its 112th plenary meeting in November 2023

10/11/2023

During this meeting, the CPT adopted the reports on its periodic visits to Albania (May 2023), Cyprus (May 2023), Estonia (May-June 2023) and Hungary (March 2023) and on its ad hoc visit to monitor the treatment of foreign nationals during a Frontex-supported return flight from Germany to...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes the response of the Moldovan authorities to the report on the 2022 visit

03/11/2023

The main objective of the visit was to re-examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons held in prison. To this end, the CPT visited Prison no. 4 in Cricova, Prison no. 13 in Chișinău and Prison no. 18 in Brănești. Particular attention was paid to assessing the progress achieved by...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits Ukraine

30/10/2023

The main objective of the visit was to review the measures taken by the Ukrainian authorities in response to the recommendations made by the Committee after previous visits. Particular attention was paid to the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons deprived of their liberty by the police...

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Council of Europe Anti-Torture Committee (CPT) holds high-level talks in Greece on prison reform

25/10/2023

The talks focused on the continued serious concerns of the Committee regarding the fundamental shortcomings in the treatment and conditions of detention of persons held in prisons. The delegation was particularly keen to learn about the action being taken by the Government to tackle the systemic...

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Council of Europe anti-torture Committee carries out periodic visit to North Macedonia

17/10/2023

During the visit, a primary objective of the delegation was to assess the treatment of persons held in prisons, and to see what progress had been made by the authorities to develop a professional prison management system, with clear reporting lines and accountability. In particular, the...

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