Press Release
Albania authorises
publication of all reports by
Council of Europe Anti-Torture Committee
Strasbourg,
22.01.2003 – The Albanian Government has authorised the publication of all
reports on visits to this country by the European Committee for the Prevention
of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment of Punishment (CPT). The reports
concern four visits, carried out between 1997 and 2001. They provide a full
picture of the evolution and impact of the CPT’s work in Albania over the past
five years.
The CPT
has visited numerous establishments, including police stations, prisons and
psychiatric hospitals, throughout the country and has made detailed
recommendations to improve the treatment and conditions of detention of persons
held there. Particular areas of concern, addressed in the reports, are
ill-treatment by the police, poor material conditions in police detention
facilities, prison overcrowding and precarious living conditions of psychiatric
patients.
In their
responses, which are published together with the reports, the Albanian
authorities provided detailed information on the measures taken to implement the
CPT’s recommendations. One particularly noteworthy development was a
significant decrease in the number of deaths at Elbasan Psychiatric Hospital,
following improvements made as regards heating, hygiene and food in the
establishment.
The CPT reports and the
responses of the Albanian authorities are available on the CPT’s website (http://www.cpt.coe.int)
New:
"CPT
Standards" and further documents about the CPT now available in Albanian
language
