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 Pakistan (September 2023). These reports will subsequently be transmitted to the governments concerned [1].

The CPT also heard oral reports on recent visits carried out in September and October 2023 to Armenia, North Macedonia, Malta and Ukraine, and prepared for future visits scheduled for the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. Other issues discussed included government responses to various visit reports, the recent high-level talks in Athens and the preparation of talks to be held with the national authorities of other states parties, as well as the organisation of its work and other matters relating to its mandate.

The CPT also resumed its practice of holding regular exchanges of views with the European Court of Human Rights on matters of common interest. The delegation from the Court was led by the President of the Court, Judge Síofra O’Leary who was joined on this occasion by Judge Latif Huseynov and Judge Mykola Gnatovskyy. The two topics addressed during this exchange concerned the issue of prisoner hierarchies and the pushback of foreign nationals across international borders.

[1] In accordance with Article 11, paragraph 2, of the CPT Convention, visit reports and related Government responses are published only at the request of the authorities (on a case-by-case basis or through an “automatic publication procedure”).