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STRASBOURG, 14.05.98 - The French Government has agreed to the publication of the report of the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) on its visit to France in 1996 and of the responses of the French authorities.
Under Article 11 of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the information gathered by the Committee in relation to a visit, its report and its consultations with the State concerned are confidential. However, the State concerned may decide to lift the rule of confidentiality provided for in the Convention.
The CPT's visit to France was carried out from 6 to 18 October 1996, in the context of the Committee's programme of periodic visits for 1996. It was the second periodic visit of the CPT to France (the first having taken place in 1991). The CPT's delegation visited the following places of detention:
Police establishments
Marseille
- Police Headquarters, rue du Commissaire Antoine Becker, 2nd arrondissement
- Police Station, rue Félix Pyat, 3rd arrondissement
- Arenc Administrative Detention Centre
Montpellier
- Police Headquarters, avenue du Professeur Grasset
Paris
- "Dépôt" of the Police Prefecture (including the Administrative Detention Centre), Quai de l'Horloge, 1st arrondissement
- Minors Protection Unit, Quai de Gesvres, 4th arrondissement
- Police Stations at the Gare du Nord, 10th arrondissement
- Police Centre, avenue du Maine, 14th arrondissement
- Goutte d'Or Police Station and 2nd Division of the Judicial Police (rue de la Goutte d'Or), 18th arrondissement
- Public Security and Central Police Stations of the 19th (rue André Dubois) and 20th (avenue Gambetta) arrondissements
Gendarmerie establishments
- Territorial Brigades at Berre-l'Etang, Marignane and Montpellier
Prisons
- Fleury-Mérogis Young Offenders Detention Centre
- Marseille Prison ("Les Baumettes")
- Paris Remand Prison ("La Santé") (including the holding facilities of the Palais de Justice, Paris)
- Villeneuve-les-Maguelonne Remand Prison
Health care establishments
- Unit for Difficult Patients at the Montfavet Special Hospital Centre
- Emergency Service and Cusco Ward at the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, Paris
- Psychiatric Infirmary of the Paris Police Prefecture
The CPT was set up under the 1987 European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. To date, 39 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 (as from 1 June 1998), Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation (as from 1 September 1998), 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, 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. It 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.
The CPT's report on its visit to France (100 pages) and the responses of the French authorities (127 pages) can be obtained from:
A seven page summary of the CPT's main findings can be faxed upon request.
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