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Press Release

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

STRASBOURG, 19.12.2000 - 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 thirteen-day visit to Germany. The visit started in Berlin on 3 December 2000 and was carried out within the framework of the CPT's programme of periodic visits for the year 2000. It was the Committee's fourth visit to Germany, the previous visits having taken place in 1991, 1996 and 1998. (*)

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

• Christina DOCTARE, Head of delegation (Swedish)
• Renate KICKER (Austrian)
• Adam LAPTAS (Polish)
• Andres LEHTMETS (Estonian)
• Pieter Reinhard STOFFELEN (Dutch)

They were assisted by Timothy Wilfried HARDING (Director of the University Institute of Forensic Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland) and Andrew RUTHERFORD (Professor, Dean of Faculty of Law, Southampton University, United Kingdom), as well as by two members of the CPT's Secretariat, Geneviève MAYER (Deputy Executive Secretary) and Michael NEURAUTER.

In the course of this visit, the CPT's delegation met Mr Hansjörg GEIGER, Secretary of State for Justice (Federal Ministry of Justice), Mr Gustav-Adolf STANGE, Secretary of State for Justice and European Affairs (Brandenburg), Ms Margret SCHLÜTER, Secretary of State for Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Women (Brandenburg), Mr Ernst-Hasso RITTER, Secretary of State for Justice (Nordrhine Westphalia), Ms Mathilde DIEDRICH, Secretary of State for Justice (Saxony Anhalt) as well as senior officials of relevant ministries.

In the framework of the visit, the CPT's delegation followed up a number of issues examined during the previous three visits concerning, in particular, the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty under the aliens legislation. Issues tackled for the first time in Germany included the treatment of persons placed in forensic psychiatric institutions and of persons living in homes for the elderly.

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

The delegation visited the following places:

• Forensic Psychiatric Department and General Department (Unit 33), Nordbaden Psychiatric Centre, Wiesloch

• Police Headquarters, Ettstrasse 2, Munich (follow-up visit)
• Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, District Hospital, Straubing

• Regional Criminal Police Detention Centre, Tempelhofer Damm 12
• Police Detention Centre, Directorate 1, Pankstrasse 29
• German Red Cross Home for Elderly Persons, Gerichtstrasse 79-83

• Police Headquarters, Bonnaskenplatz 2-3, Cottbus
• Detention Centre for Foreigners, Eisenhüttenstadt
• Federal Border Police Station, Guben
• Home for Elderly Persons, Wichernhaus, Cottbus

• Frankfurt am Main Airport (follow-up visit)
• Police Headquarters, Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 11, Frankfurt am Main
• Police Detention Centre, Klapperfeldgasse, Frankfurt am Main
• Police Station 4, Central Railway Station, Frankfurt am Main
• Federal Border Police Station, Central Railway Station, Frankfurt am Main

• Detention Centre for Foreigners, Büren

• Juvenile Prison, Halle
• Police Station Halle-Neustadt, Neustädter Passage 15a, Halle

Moreover, the delegation went to Straubing Prison (Bavaria) and the Forensic Psychiatric Department of the Brandenburg/Havel Regional Hospital (Brandenburg), in order to interview persons deprived of their liberty.

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 Germany and its consultations with the German 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. All 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, 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 sabine.zimmer@coe.int
• the CPT's Secretariat:
  tel. +33 3 88 41 23 88; fax +33 3 88 41 27 72; e-mail cptdoc@coe.int