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Strasbourg, 18.10.2006 - A delegation of the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) recently carried out a 13-day visit to France. The CPT's ninth visit to France began on 27 September 2006.
During the visit, the delegation reviewed the steps taken by the French authorities following certain recommendations made by the CPT after its previous visits: material conditions in various administrative detention centres for foreigners and at the immigration waiting area (ZAPI III) at Charles de Gaulle Airport, and deportation procedures; the use of restraints at the National Public Health Establishment at Fresnes; and conditions of custody in police, gendarmerie and customs administration establishments.
The delegation also examined in detail the recently adopted procedures and safeguards in the context of counter-terrorism operations through visits to the French Counter-Intelligence Service (“DST”), the Anti-Terrorist Division of the Central Directorate of Judicial Police (“SDAT”), and the pratical implementation of these procedures in Corsica. As regards the prison system, it examined several specific detention regimes, as well as medical and psychiatric care for detainees (in particular those provided by several regional medical and psychological departments). It also visited, for the first time, a jointly managed (public-private) remand prison in Seysses, near Toulouse, as well as a Closed Educational Centre for Minors at Mont de Marsan. The delegation also assessed the conditions in which health care was provided to detainees in the secure rooms at Moulins-Yzeure Hospital.
In the course of the visit, the delegation held consultations with the Minister of Justice, Mr CLEMENT, the Director of the Prison Administration, and several senior officials. Further, the delegation met with the Directors of the Private Office of the Interior and Health Ministers, as well as the Director-General of the Gendarmerie, the Director-General of the National Police, the Paris Police Prefect and the Prosecutor General of Bastia.
Discussions were also held with the Ombudsman, the Ombudsman for Children, the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights, the National Ethics and Security Commission, as well as with representatives of non-governmental organisations active in areas of concern to the CPT.
At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary observations to the French authorities.
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:
- Marc NEVE, Head of delegation
(Belgian)
- Haritini DIPLA (Greek)
- Petros MICHAELIDES (Cypriot)
- Joan Miquel RASCAGNERES LLAGOSTERA
(Andorran)
- Jean-Pierre RESTELLINI (Swiss)
- Florin STĂNESCU (Romanian).
They were supported by Fabrice KELLENS, Deputy Executive Secretary, and Caterina BOLOGNESE of the CPT's Secretariat, and assisted by two experts: Timothy HARDING, Director of the University Institute of Forensic Medicine, Geneva (Switzerland) and Christian-Nils ROBERT, Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Geneva (Switzerland).
The delegation visited the following places:
Law enforcement establishments
• French Counter-Intelligence Service (“DST”), Rue
Nélaton, Paris
• Anti-Terrorist Division of the Central Directorate of
Judicial Police (“SDAT”), Rue des Saussaies, Paris
• "Dépôt" of the Paris Police Prefecture (including the Administrative Detention Centre for Women), Quai de l’Horloge, Paris
• Moulins Police Station (Allier)
• Bastia Police Headquarters (holding cells,
administrative detention premises and judicial police investigation services of
Upper Corsica)
• Toulouse Police Headquarters
• Upper Corsica Gendarmerie Headquarters (holding
cells and research brigade)
• St Michel Autonomous Territorial Brigade of the
Gendarmerie, Toulouse
• Palaiseau, Vincennes 1 and Vincennes 2
Administrative Detention Centres for Foreigners
• Administrative Detention Centre for Foreigners in
Marseille
• Blagnac 2 Administrative Detention Centre for
Foreigners in Toulouse
At Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport:
• Police Headquarters (“5720” Building)
• Immigration Waiting Zone (ZAPI III) and Border Police
Divisions (at Terminals 1 (Division and Station), 2A, 2E and 2F)
• Mobile Research Brigade (Immigration) of the Border
Police
• Local Removal Unit
• Holding facilities used by the Customs
Administration, Terminal 2
Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Justice
• Fresnes Remand Prison (unit for male prisoners,
disciplinary and seclusion units, regional medical and psychological service
(“SMPR”))
• National Public Health Establishment, Fresnes
• Seysses Remand Prison (including the SMPR)
• Moulins-Yzeure Prison (including the UCSA)
• Closed Educational Centre for Minors, Mont de Marsan
• Holding cells of the Bastia Courthouse
• Secure waiting room at the Moulins Courthouse
Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Health
• Secure rooms at Moulins-Yzeure Hospital
• Georges Marchand Hospital, Toulouse (targeted visit on the procedures and
conditions of hospitalisation of detainees)
Further, the CPT’s delegation held discussions with detainees charged with or sentenced for acts of terrorism at Borgo Prison. In this establishment it also consulted medical files on admission and interviewed persons held under ordinary criminal law who had recently been in the custody of law enforcement agencies.
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