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 being ill-treated, in particular at the time of apprehension. This was a source of ongoing serious concern to the CPT and demonstrated the need for the Polish authorities to step up their efforts in this area. Furthermore, the absolute absence of progress as regards the fundamental safeguards against ill-treatment advocated by the CPT, namely the right of access to a lawyer and to a doctor, the right to notify one's detention to a third party and the right to be informed of the above-mentioned rights, was the source of the Committee’s deepest concern after the 2019 ad hoc visit to Poland. It is the CPT’s view that serious deficiencies observed once again by its delegation had a persisting and systemic character, which appeared in an even more negative light when set against the ongoing phenomenon of ill-treatment of persons in police custody. Based on its delegation’s findings from this ad hoc visit, the Committee considered that if no expedient and decisive action was taken by the Polish authorities, the risk of persons in police custody being subjected to ill-treatment was likely to increase further in the near future.

In their response, the Polish authorities provided information on the measures taken to implement the recommendations made in the CPT’s report.

The CPT report and the response of the Polish authorities have been made public at the request of the Polish Government.

• Read the report
• Read the executive summary
• Read the response (in English) (in Polish)