2020 News
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits Azerbaijan
The main objective of the visit was to review the measures taken by the Azerbaijani authorities in response to the recommendations made by the Committee after previous visits. In this connection, attention was paid to the treatment and conditions of detention of persons in the custody of law...
CPT factsheet on social care establishments
Since 1990, the CPT has visited over 100 social care establishments in various Council of Europe member States and has developed a detailed set of standards. They are described in a new factsheet, prepared by the CPT’s Secretariat. The CPT is particularly concerned about the situation of...
Videoconference meeting with European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly
On 16 December 2020, Mark Kelly, 1st Vice-President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), held a videoconference meeting with Ms Emily O’Reilly, Ombudsman of the European Union, in order to exchange views on various issues of mutual interest for the protection of persons...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits Germany
In the course of the visit, the delegation examined the treatment and conditions of detention of persons held in several police establishments and prisons, as well as the treatment, living conditions and legal safeguards offered to forensic psychiatric patients in two Länder. In this connection,...
The CPT publishes report on Ukraine
The main objective of the visit was to review the treatment of persons held in penitentiary institutions, in particular at two correctional colonies in the Kharkiv area, namely Colonies Nos. 25 and 100. The visit to Colony No. 100 also provided an opportunity to review the situation of prisoners...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits North Macedonia and hold talks with the Prime Minister on the need to improve the treatment of persons held in prisons
The talks held with both Prime Minister Zaev and Minister of Justice Bojan Maricikj highlighted the necessity for North Macedonia to establish a professional prison service with clear reporting lines and effective management oversight. The steps required to provide minimum conditions of detention...
CPT representatives hold videoconference meeting with EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson
On 3 December 2020, Mykola Gnatovskyy, President and Mark Kelly, 1st Vice-President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) held a videoconference meeting with Ms Ylva Johansson, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, in order to exchange views on various issues of mutual...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee urges Bulgaria to stop physical ill-treatment of psychiatric patients and social care residents and to immediately cease the shameful practice of using chains as a means of restraint
The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has published today the report on its ad hoc visit to Bulgaria, which took place from 10 to 21 August 2020. The report has been made public under the automatic publication procedure introduced by the Bulgarian authorities. In...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee announces periodic visits to ten countries in 2021
The Committee intends to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the following countries: Austria Bulgaria Latvia Lithuania Russian Federation Serbia* Sweden* Switzerland Turkey United Kingdom. Persons and organisations in possession of relevant information concerning the...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes 7th periodic visit report on Ireland
The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has today published a report on its seventh periodic visit to Ireland, which took place from 23 September to 4 October 2019, together with the response of the Irish Government. Both documents have been made public at the...
Council of Europe’s anti-torture Committee calls on Greece to reform its immigration detention system and stop pushbacks
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published today the report on its ad hoc visit to Greece, which took place from 13 to 17 March 2020, together with the response of the Greek authorities. In the report, the...
Council of Europe Anti-torture committee urges Portugal to tackle police ill-treatment and police impunity
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published today the report on its ad hoc visit to Portugal, which took place from 3 to 12 December 2019, together with the response of the Portuguese authorities. In the...
The CPT holds its November 2020 plenary
Due to restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the meeting was exceptionally held entirely via video conference. During the session, the Committee adopted the reports on its ad hoc visits to Bulgaria (August 2020), Croatia (August 2020), France (July 2020), Malta (September 2020) and...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on the ad hoc visit to Poland
The objective of the visit was to review the implementation of the CPT's long-standing recommendations concerning the treatment of persons in police custody. The delegation’s findings during the 2019 ad hoc visit clearly indicated that persons taken into police custody in Poland continued to risk...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits Kosovo*
It was the CPT’s fourth visit on the basis of an agreement signed in 2004 between the Council of Europe and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). In the course of the visit, the delegation examined the treatment and conditions of detention of persons held in several...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on the United Kingdom focusing on Scottish prisons
The aim of the visit was to follow up on certain issues of concern to the Committee that had been raised in its report on the 2018 visit to Scotland, notably the use of segregation and mental health care for women prisoners. Issues of overcrowding and long-term segregation in the male custodial...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee carries out a 15-day visit to Spain
In the course of the visit, the CPT’s delegation examined the treatment and conditions of detention of men and women held in several prisons and in the two penitentiary psychiatric hospitals of Alicante and Seville, as well as in a detention centre for juveniles in Algeciras. Further, the...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee undertakes rapid reaction visit to Malta to examine treatment of migrants
During the visit, the CPT’s delegation examined the conditions of detention for, and treatment of, migrants deprived of their liberty, including families with young children and unaccompanied and separated minors. It visited various places where migrants are being held, notably the detention and...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits the Principality of Monaco
The objective of the visit was to assess how persons deprived of their liberty are treated and to strengthen, if necessary, their protection from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In this context, the delegation examined the measures taken by the Monegasque authorities in...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits Finland
The objective of the visit was to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty with a view to strengthening, if necessary, their protection from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In this context, the delegation reviewed the measures taken by the Finnish...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on Moldova
The main objective of the visit was to assess the progress made in the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations following the previous visits. In this context, the delegation paid particular attention to the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons deprived of their liberty by the...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes the response of the Danish authorities to the report on the 2019 visit
The response has been made public under the automatic publication procedure introduced by the Danish authorities. The response to paragraph 117 of the report was published in March 2020. Read the response Read the report (published in January 2020) The CPT and Denmark
The CPT visits Bulgaria
The main objective of the visit was to examine whether any progress has been made by the Bulgarian authorities since the 2017 periodic visit of the CPT as regards the implementation of its recommendations concerning the treatment, conditions and legal safeguards offered to psychiatric patients...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee carries out rapid reaction visit to Croatia to examine treatment of migrants
The CPT delegation visited a number of border police stations in Croatia as well as the country’s main reception centre for foreigners (Ježevo) in order to examine the conditions of detention and formal pre-removal procedures. The delegation also visited several temporary reception centres and...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits Ukraine
The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment of persons held in penitentiary institutions, including prisoners serving a life sentence. To this end, the CPT’s delegation visited three correctional colonies: No. 25 in Kharkiv, No. 100 in Temnivka (Kharkiv region) and No. 77 in...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes two reports on Turkey
The main objective of the 2017 and 2019 visits was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons detained by the police/gendarmerie. To this end, the CPT’s delegation interviewed hundreds of persons who were or had recently been held in police custody, including on suspicion of...
The CPT visits France
The aim of the visit was to assess the situation of persons deprived of their liberty in Alsace, a region particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The delegation visited various detention facilities in order to examine the measures taken to protect both persons deprived of their liberty...
Covid-19: CPT issues follow-up statement
“The CPT would like to express its appreciation for the constructive and detailed written responses received from almost all member States. The information provided suggests that, in many States, steps have been taken promptly to protect persons deprived of their liberty from possible infection...
The CPT holds its 102nd plenary meeting
The meeting was the first of its kind at the Council of Europe with 25 members of the Committee physically attending; the rest participating via video conference. During this plenary session, the Committee adopted the reports on its periodic visits to Armenia (December 2019), France (December...
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, 26 June: European and UN anti-torture bodies emphasise the absolute nature of the prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment
“As the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to emphasise the absolute nature of the prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. As a captive population, persons deprived of their liberty are particularly vulnerable to violations of this...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes Icelandic response to the report on the 2019 visit
In the report the CPT had made recommendations on the treatment and conditions of detention of persons in police custody and in penitentiary establishments, as well as the treatment, conditions and legal safeguards offered to psychiatric patients. The response of the Icelandic authorities has...
CPT’s 2019 annual report: 30 years preventing torture and ill-treatment
“The CPT’s 30th anniversary in 2019 was an opportunity to take stock of the committee’s achievements and to analyse the challenges we face, such as prison overcrowding, immigration detention, involuntary treatment of psychiatric patients or the detention of juveniles. Today, when the prohibition...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on the United Kingdom
This targeted follow-up visit to England focussed on the persistently high levels of violence in the local male adult prisons and juvenile detention centres, as well as on broader concerns regarding regimes, the use of force, segregation and use of means of restraint. The visit followed up on...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on Greece
The main objective of the visit was to examine the situation in prisons and to evaluate whether any progress had been made in implementing the Committee’s previous recommendations in relation to overcrowding, high levels of inter-prisoner violence, chronic staffing shortages, inadequate material...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes Ukrainian response to the report on the 2019 ad hoc visit
In the report the CPT had made recommendations on the treatment of residents in psycho-neurological institutions ("internats"). The response has been made public under an automatic publication procedure introduced by the Ukrainian authorities in 2014. Read the response Read the report (published...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on France
The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons deprived of their liberty under immigration and asylum law. The main conclusions of the CPT are set out in the executive summary of the report. In their response, the French authorities provide...
Covid-19: Council of Europe anti-torture Committee issues “Statement of principles relating to the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty”
“The Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic has created extraordinary challenges for the authorities of all member States of the Council of Europe”, says Mykola Gnatovskyy, President of the CPT. “There are specific and intense challenges for staff working in various places of deprivation of...
Anti-torture Committee undertakes rapid reaction visit to Greece to examine treatment of migrants
During the visit, the CPT’s delegation looked into the conditions of detention of migrants, including pregnant women and families with young children and infants. It visited police and border guard stations and other long-term facilities in the Evros region. It also visited certain quasi-official...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on Hungary
The purpose of the visit was to examine the situation of persons in police custody, prisoners placed in HSR units (special regime units for prisoners serving long sentences, including life sentences) and juvenile prisoners, as well as persons placed in social care homes, and to assess the...
The CPT holds its March 2020 plenary meeting
During this meeting, the Committee adopted the reports on its periodic visit to Ireland (September/October 2019), and on its ad hoc visits to Poland (September 2019), the Russian Federation (October 2019) and to the United Kingdom (October 2019). These reports will be sent in due course to the...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes a response of the Danish authorities to the report on the 2019 visit
The response concerns the CPT’s comments and recommendations on the Ellebæk Centre for Foreigners and Nykøbing Falster Holding Centre. The Danish Government has made this response public. A full response by the Danish authorities is due in May 2020. Read the response
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes Albanian response to the report on the 2018 visit
In the report the CPT had made recommendations on treatment and conditions of detention of persons in police custody, prisons, civil and forensic psychiatric establishments and, for the first time in Albania, in an immigration detention centre. The response has been made public under an automatic...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits Moldova
During the visit, the CPT’s delegation assessed progress made in the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations following the previous visits. In this context, the delegation paid particular attention to the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons deprived of their liberty by the...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on Spain focusing on prison and police establishments in Catalonia
The purpose of the visit was to examine the situation in police and prison establishments in the autonomous community of Catalonia and to assess the progress made since the CPT’s previous visits to this region in 2011 and 2012. The report focuses in particular on the situation of prisoners placed...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on Iceland
The main objective of the visit was to review the measures taken by the Icelandic 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...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on Italy, focusing on prison establishments
The purpose of the visit was to examine the situation of prisoners placed under high and maximum security regime (the so-called “41-bis regime”) as well as various “isolation” and segregation measures (such as court-imposed isolation to life-sentenced prisoners). The delegation also reviewed the...
The CPT publishes report on Ukraine
The aim of the visit was to examine the treatment of residents of Psycho-neurological Institutions (“Internats”) and, in this context, to assess the progress made as regards the implementation of previous CPT’s recommendations. For this purpose, the CPT's delegation visited the “Internat” in...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on Denmark
The main objective of the visit was to assess the progress made since the CPT’s previous visit in 2014. In this context, the CPT’s delegation paid particular attention to the safeguards against police ill-treatment as well as to the situation in prisons and establishments for detained migrants,...
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