The objective of the visit was to review the conditions of detention and the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by Liechtenstein authorities. For this purpose, the delegation examined the situation of persons held at Vaduz State Prison and paid particular attention to the safeguards afforded to persons detained by the police. It also spoke to persons sentenced by Liechtenstein courts who are held in Austria and Switzerland and assessed the legal safeguards surrounding the involuntary placement of patients in psychiatric hospitals abroad.

In the course of the visit, the CPT delegation held consultations with Sabine Monauni, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Economic Affairs and the Environment, Jules Hoch, Chief of the National Police, Martin Alge, Head of the Office of Justice, and Eva-Maria Mödlagl, Head of the Office of Health, as well as other senior officials from the Ministries and services concerned. Exchanges were also held with representatives of the Prison Supervisory Commission (Strafvollzugskommission) as the country’s National Preventive Mechanism, and non-governmental organisations.

At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary observations to the Liechtenstein authorities.

The visit was carried out by Karin Rowhani-Wimmer (Head of delegation), Lise-Lotte Carlsson and Dmytro Yagunov. They were supported by Borys Wòdz (Head of Division) and Almut Schröder of the CPT Secretariat, and assisted by an expert, Veronica Pimenoff (psychiatrist, former Head of Department at Helsinki University Psychiatric Hospital, Finland).

The delegation visited the following places of deprivation of liberty:

• Vaduz State Prison
• National Police Headquarters, Vaduz
• Innsbruck Prison (Austria)
• Forensic Department of Hall Regional Psychiatric Hospital (Austria)
• Saxerriet Prison (Switzerland)