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Press Release

Visit to Austria by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture

STRASBOURG, 06.10.99 - A delegation of the COUNCIL OF EUROPE Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) recently carried out a twelve-day visit to Austria. The visit began on 19 September 1999 and was organised within the framework of the CPT's programme of periodic visits for 1999. It was the CPT's third periodic visit to Austria. The first two visits took place in May 1990 and September/October 1994⁽¹⁾.

The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:

• Gisela PERREN-KLINGLER, Head of the delegation, (Swiss)
• Arnold OEHRY (Liechtensteiner)
• Pierre SCHMIT (Luxemburger)
• Pieter Reinhard STOFFELEN (Dutch)
• Volodymyr YEVINTOV (Ukrainian).

They were assisted by Jean SABATINI, expert (Psychiatrist, Senior Lecturer in the Forensic Medical Laboratory "Laennec", Faculty of Medicine, Lyon), as well as by Geneviève MAYER, Deputy Secretary of the CPT, Dominique BERTRAND and Edo KORLJAN of the CPT’s Secretariat.

During this third visit, the CPT's delegation held consultations with Mr Nikolaus Michalek, Federal Minister of Justice, Mr Karl Schlögl, Federal Minister for the Interior and Mrs Eleonore Hostasch, Federal Minister for Labor, Health and Social Affairs. The delegation also met Mr Gerhart Holzinger, President of the Human Rights Advisory Council. Further, it had a meeting with the Ombudsman, Mr Horst Schender.

The delegation visited the following places:

• Graz Police Jail
• Police station at Graz Railway Station
• Gendarmerie Stations in Rehnitz, Oberpullendorf and Oberwart

• Police Jail

• Security Bureau of the 2^nd Division of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Federal Directorate of the Vienna Police
• Neubau Police Station, Kandelgasse (7^th District)
• Favoriten Police Station, Van-der-Nüll-Gasse (10^th District)
• Brigittenau Police Station, Pappenheimgasse (20^th District)
• Police Jails at Rossauer Lände, and Hernalser Gürtel
• Wien-Schwechat Airport transit zone and special transit zone

Prisons

• Göllersdorf Prison
• Schwarzau Prison
• Wien-Josefstadt Prison, Vienna

Psychiatric establishments

• Vienna Psychiatric Hospital (in particular Pavilion 23 for persons placed in the context of criminal proceedings), Baumgartner Höhe

In accordance with Article 11 of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the information gathered by the CPT during its visit to Austria and its consultations with the Austrian authorities are confidential.

The CPT was set up under the 1987 European Convention for the prevention of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. 40 of the 41 member States of the Council of Europe are bound by the Convention: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

The CPT is composed of persons from a variety of backgrounds: lawyers, medical doctors, prison experts, persons with parliamentary experience, etc. The Committee's task is to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty. For this purpose, it is entitled to visit any place where such persons are held by a public authority. The Committee may formulate recommendations to strengthen, if necessary, their protection against torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The CPT organises periodic visits as well as any other visits which appear to it to be required in the circumstances.

Further information may be obtained from:

• the CPT's Internet Site: www.cpt.coe.int
• the Council of Europe Press Department:
  Laura RIELLO, tel. +33/(0)3 88 41 25 97; fax +33/(0)3 88 41 27 90; e-mail pressunit@coe.int
• the CPT’s Secretariat:
  tel. +33/(0)3 88 41 23 88; fax +33/(0)3 88 41 27 72; e-mail cptdoc@coe.int

A political organisation set up in 1949, the Council of Europe works to promote democracy and human rights continent-wide. It also develops common responses to social, cultural and legal challenges in its 41 member states.

⁽¹⁾ The reports on those two visits as well as the comments of the Austrian Government have been made public under the following references: CPT/Inf (91) 10 and CPT/Inf (91) 11 ; CPT/Inf (96) 28 and CPT/Inf (96) 29. Concerning the last two documents, a German version can be obtained from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Neustiftgasse 2, 1070 Wien.