The visits focussed on the treatment of persons detained by the State's law enforcement agencies. From the facts found, the CPT concludes that the physical ill-treatment of such persons is a serious problem, affecting ordinary criminal suspects as well as those suspected of crimes against the State. Moreover, the information gathered by the Committee revealed that there is no guarantee that an effective investigation will be carried out, when it comes to the attention of judges and prosecutors, that a person may have sustained injuries while in police custody.

The Anti-Torture Committee calls upon the national authorities to ensure that a formal statement from the highest political level is delivered to law enforcement officials, making clear to them that the ill-treatment of detained persons will not be tolerated. The Committee also identifies specific measures to be applied by the various authorities - judges and prosecutors, as well as the police and prison services - to prevent police ill-treatment and combat impunity.

In their response to the October 2001 visit report, the national authorities describe the various measures taken to implement the CPT's recommendations. They highlight, in particular, recent professional training activities for law enforcement officials, carried out in accordance with the Ohrid Framework Agreement.

The CPT reports and the response of the national authorities to the October 2001 visit report are available on the CPT's website (http://www.cpt.coe.int).  The national authorities have stated that they will publish their response to the July 2002 visit report as soon as it is finalised.