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Press Release

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

STRASBOURG, 20.02.2001 - A delegation of the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) recently carried out an eleven-day visit to Switzerland. The visit started in Bern on 5 February 2001 and was carried out within the framework of the CPT's programme of periodic visits for the year 2001. It was the Committee's third visit to Switzerland, the previous visits having taken place in 1991 and 1996⁽¹⁾.

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

• Volodymyr YEVINTOV, Second Vice-President of the CPT, Head of Delegation (Ukrainian)

• Mario BENEDETTINI (San Marinese)

• Renate KICKER (Austrian)

• Nikola MATOVSKI (citizen of "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia")

• Marc NEVE (Belgian).

They were assisted by Odile DIAMANT-BERGER, Forensic Doctor, Head of the Emergency Forensic Medical Service at the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Paris, and Yves BISSUEL, Psychiatrist, Chief Doctor at the Clinic "Soins et Accueil des Monts du Lyonnais" in Vaugneray, as well as by Fabrice KELLENS, Michael NEURAUTER and Hanne JUNCHER of the CPT's Secretariat.

In the course of this third visit, the delegation met Ms Ruth METZLER-ARNOLD, Federal Counsellor, Head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police, as well as several senior officials of the various civil and military departments concerned. In addition, the delegation met Mr Claude GRANDJEAN, State Counsellor, Head of the Department of Justice, Police and Military Affairs of the Canton of Fribourg, Ms Karin KELLER-SUTTER, State Counsellor, Head of the Department of Justice and Police of the Canton of Saint Gall, as well as senior officials of the various Cantons visited.

In the framework of the visit, the delegation followed up a certain number of issues examined during the two previous visits. Furthermore, it visited for the first time detention facilities of the Border Guards Corps, a home for juveniles, a military institution, and a private psychiatric clinic. Finally, at Zürich-Kloten International Airport, the delegation examined in detail the procedures and means of restraint applied in the course of expulsions by air of foreign nationals.

The delegation visited the following places:

• Detention facilities of the Border Guards Corps at the Basel/Weil am Rhein border post

• Municipal Police Headquarters, Bern⁽²⁾

• Municipal Police Station at Bern Railway Station

• Wagon for the transportation of detained persons ("Train-Street") at Bern Railway Station

• "Transport Station" at Bern Regional Prison

• Home for juveniles, Prêles

• Cantonal Police Headquarters, Fribourg

• Schönberg Gendarmerie Post, Fribourg

• Fribourg Central Prison

• La Poya Military Barracks, Fribourg

• Municipal Police Headquarters, Saint Gall

• Saint Gall District Prison

• Psychiatric Clinic, Littenheid

• Transit zone at Zürich-Kloten International Airport (including the Accommodation Facilities for Asylum Seekers⁽²⁾ and the Centre for Inadmissible Passengers – INADS)

• Police facilities, Zürich-Kloten International Airport⁽²⁾

• Prison No. 2, Zürich-Kloten International Airport

• Cantonal Police Headquarters, Zurich⁽²⁾

• Municipal Police Station at Aussersihl, Zurich

The delegation also met Mr Philippe de SINNER, Director of the Swiss Training Centre for Prison Staff in Fribourg.

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 Switzerland and its consultations with the Swiss 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. 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, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, 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 and to interview those persons in private. 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:
  Sabine ZIMMER, tel. +33 3 88 41 25 97; fax +33 3 88 41 27 90; e-mail pressunit@coe.int

• the CPT’s Secretariat: tel. +33 3 88 41 39 39; fax +33 3 88 41 27 72; e-mail cptdoc@coe.int

(1) Reports on these visits as well as the responses of the Swiss authorities have been made public at the request of the Swiss Government. These documents can be consulted on the CPT’s website or obtained from the CPT’s Secretariat.

(2) Follow-up visit