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STRASBOURG, 31.07.2001 - A delegation of the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) recently carried out a five-day visit to Spain. The visit began on 22 July 2001. It was the Committee's seventh visit to Spain.
The visit was carried out by two members of the CPT, Gisela PERREN-KLINGLER, a Swiss psychiatrist (Head of delegation), and Davor STRINOVIC, a Croatian forensic doctor. They were assisted by Mark KELLY, Director, Human Rights Consultants (expert) and by Jan MALINOWSKI of the CPT's Secretariat.
In the course of its visit, the CPT's delegation met Pedro MORENES EULATE, Secretary of State for Security, and Eugenio LOPEZ ALVAREZ, Technical General Secretary, and other senior officials from the Ministry of the Interior.
The main purpose of the visit was to examine the efficacy in practice of the formal legal safeguards against ill-treatment which are available to persons deprived of their liberty by the law enforcement agencies in Spain. The delegation reviewed the action being taken by the Spanish authorities to implement the CPT's recommendations on this subject. It also examined the internal accountability procedures of the National Police and the Civil Guard in cases involving allegations of ill-treatment by members of those agencies. Further, the delegation interviewed a number of persons recently detained by the National Police and the Civil Guard on suspicion of terrorist-related offences.
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 Spain and its consultations with the Spanish authorities are confidential.
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The CPT was set up under the 1987 European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 41 of the 43 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. When they joined the Council of Europe in January 2001, Armenia and Azerbaijan undertook to ratify the Convention within one year.
The CPT is composed of persons from a variety of backgrounds: lawyers, medical doctors, police and 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 other visits which appear to it be required in the circumstances.
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Further information may be obtained from:
- the CPT's Internet Site: www.cpt.coe.int
- the Council of Europe Press Service: tel. +33 3 88 41 25 60; 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
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