What's New ?  |  About the CPT  |  Members  |  States  |  Visits  |  Documents  |  Database

Press Release

Visit to Georgia by the European Committee for the Prevention 
of Torture

STRASBOURG, 22.05.2001 - 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 two-week visit to Georgia. The visit began in Tbilisi on 6 May 2001 and was organised within the framework of the CPT's programme of periodic visits for 2001. It was the Committee's first periodic visit to Georgia.

The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:

-    Silvia CASALE, President of the CPT, Head of delegation (British)
-    Ingrid LYCKE ELLINGSEN, First Vice-President of the CPT (Norwegian)
-    Zdenĕk HÁJEK (Czech)
-    Veronica PIMENOFF (Finnish)
-    Pieter Reinhard STOFFELEN (Dutch)
-    Davor STRINOVIĆ (Croatian).

They were assisted by Jean-Pierre RESTELLINI, Specialist in forensic and internal medicine, Geneva, as well as by Wolfgang RAU, Petya NESTOROVA and Borys WODZ of the CPT's Secretariat.

In the course of its visit, the CPT's delegation met Mikheil SAAKASHVILI, Minister of Justice, Kakha TARGAMAZDE, Minister of Internal Affairs, Nugzar BABUTSIDZE, Deputy Minister of State Security, Gela BEJUASHVILI, Deputy Minister of Defence, Marina GUDUSHAURI, Deputy Minister of Labour, Health-care and Social Protection, as well as other senior officials from these ministries. The delegation also held discussions with Gia MEPARISHVILI, Prosecutor General, Nana DEVDARIANI, Public Defender of Georgia, Rusudan BERIDZE, Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council, and Konstantin KEMULARIA, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights.

The delegation visited the following places:

-    Temporary detention isolator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
-    Temporary detention isolator of the Main City Department of Internal Affairs
-    Didube-Chughureti District Division of Internal Affairs
-    Isani-Samgori District Division of Internal Affairs
-    Vake-Saburtalo District Division of Internal Affairs
-    1^st Police Department of Mtatsminda-Krtsanisi District Division of Internal Affairs
-    3^rd Police Department of Mtatsminda-Krtsanisi District Division of Internal Affairs
-    3^rd Police Department of Vake-Saburtalo District Division of Internal Affairs
-    Transport Police Department, 24 Tamar Mepe Avenue

Kutaisi

-    City Department of Internal Affairs
-    Temporary detention isolator of the Imereti Regional Department of Internal Affairs
-    1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th District Divisions of Internal Affairs

-    Temporary detention isolator of the Department of Internal Affairs, Gori
-    Temporary detention isolator of the Department of Internal Affairs, Poti
-    Temporary detention isolator of the Division of Internal Affairs, Tskaltubo

State Security detention facilities

-    Temporary detention isolator of the Ministry of State Security, Tbilisi

Penitentiary establishments

-    Prison No 1, Tbilisi
-    Prison No 5, Tbilisi
-    Central prison hospital, Tbilisi

-     Strict regime Psychiatric Hospital, Poti

-     Disciplinary unit ("Gauptvachta") of Kutaisi Garrison.

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 Georgia and its consultations with the Georgian 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 and police 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