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STRASBOURG, 21.02.2001 - 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 thirteen-day visit to the United Kingdom. The visit began on 4 February 2001 and was organised within the framework of the CPT's programme of periodic visits for 2001. It was the Committee's fourth periodic visit to the United Kingdom.
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:
They were assisted by Lionel BAILLY, Psychiatrist, Senior Lecturer in child and adolescent psychiatry, University College London Medical School, Honorary Consultant (expert) as well as by Jan MALINOWSKI, Wolfgang RAU and Bojana URUMOVA of the CPT's Secretariat.
In the course of its visit, the CPT's delegation met Paul BOATENG, Deputy Home Secretary, Minister of State with responsibility for prison matters, Barbara ROCHE, Minister of State with responsibility for immigration, Philip HUNT, Parliamentary Secretary of State in the Department of Health with responsibility for prison health care and Martin NAREY, Director General of the Prison Service, as well as David RAMSBOTHAM, Chief Inspector of Prisons and Stephen SHAW, Prisons Ombudsman.
The CPT's delegation paid particular attention to the treatment of young persons deprived of their liberty. The visit also marked the first occasion for a CPT delegation to visit Wales and to examine the treatment of persons held in a military establishment in the United Kingdom.
The delegation visited the following places:
Police establishments
Court cells
Prisons
Detention facilities for children
Military detention facilities
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 the United Kingdom and its consultations with the British 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. Forty one 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.
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 pressunit@coe.int
Cathie BURTON, tel. +33 3 88 41 28 93; 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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