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Strasbourg, 05.05.2008 – A delegation of the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) carried out a periodic visit to Finland from 20 to 30 April 2008. It was the CPT’s fourth periodic visit to Finland.
The CPT’s delegation reviewed the measures taken by the Finnish authorities to implement the recommendations made by the Committee after previous visits. The delegation examined, in particular, the safeguards offered to persons detained by the police, and the situation of remand prisoners in police detention facilities and of foreign nationals held under aliens legislation. As regards prisons, special attention was paid to the phenomenon of inter-prisoner violence and intimidation as well as to the situation of prisoners held in high security and closed units. In addition, the delegation visited a State psychiatric hospital for forensic patients and civil patients considered dangerous or otherwise challenging and, for the first time in Finland, a psychiatric unit for adolescent intensive care.
The delegation had consultations with Ms Anne HOLMLUND, Minister of the Interior, Ms Ritva VILJANEN, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Interior, Ms Tiina ASTOLA, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, and Mr Ilkka OKSALA, State Secretary, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, as well as with senior officials of the ministries concerned. The delegation also met Ms Riitta-Leena PAUNIO, Parliamentary Ombudsperson, and Mr Petri JÄÄSKELÄINEN and Mr Jukka LINDSTEDT, Deputy Parliamentary Ombudsmen. Further, it had meetings with representatives of non-governmental organisations and lawyers active in areas of concern to the CPT.
At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary observations to the Finnish authorities.
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:
- Renate KICKER (Austrian), Head of delegation and First Vice-President of
the CPT
- Pétur HAUKSSON (Icelander), Second Vice-President of the CPT
- Jørgen Worsaae RASMUSSEN (Danish)
- George TUGUSHI (Georgian).
They were supported by Borys WÓDZ and Johan FRIESTEDT of the Committee’s Secretariat, and assisted by two experts: Clive MEUX, consultant forensic psychiatrist, Oxford (United Kingdom), and Bertel ÖSTERDAHL, former Director General of the National Prison and Probation Service (Sweden).
The delegation visited the following places of deprivation of liberty:
Police establishments
- Helsinki Police Department (Police Prison in Pasila) (follow-up visit)
- Helsinki City Centre, Itäkeskus and Malmi Police Precincts
- Nokia District Police Department
- Riihimäki District Police Department
- Seinäjoki District Police Department
- Tampere District Police Department (follow-up visit)
- Vaasa District Police Department
- Töölö Custodial Facility for Intoxicated Persons, Helsinki (follow-up visit)
- Metsälä Detention Unit for Aliens, Helsinki
Prisons
- Helsinki Prison (follow-up visit focused on closed units)
- Riihimäki Prison (follow-up visit focused on high security and closed units)
- Vantaa Prison
Psychiatric establishments
- Psychiatric Treatment and Research Unit for Adolescent Intensive Care
(EVA), Pitkäniemi Hospital
- Vanha Vaasa State Psychiatric Hospital.
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