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09.12.2004 - 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 visit to Italy from 21 November to 3 December 2004. It was the Committee's fourth periodic visit to Italy.
During the visit, the delegation examined the conditions of detention and the safeguards offered to foreign nationals held at the temporary holding centres in Sicily. Further, it examined for the first time, the practical implementation in Italy of the procedure for applying an “involuntary medical treatment” (TSO) to psychiatric patients. The delegation also reviewed the conditions of detention during police custody, as well as the safeguards offered to persons detained by law enforcement agencies. In addition, it followed up the CPT’s recommendations concerning prison overcrowding and prisoners subject to the so-called “Article 41-bis regime”.
In the course of the visit, the delegation held consultations with Giuseppe VALENTINO, State Secretary for Justice, and Antonio GUIDI, State Secretary for Health. It also met senior officials from the Ministries of the Interior, Justice and Health as well as representatives of the Carabinieri, the Guardia di Finanza and the Armed Forces.
During the end-of-visit talks with the Italian authorities, the Head of the Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration of the Ministry of the Interior, Ms Anna Maria D’ASCENZO, announced the closure of the Temporary Holding Centre for Foreigners at Agrigento, following an immediate observation made by the delegation.
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:
- Renate KICKER (Head of Delegation) (Austrian)
- Mario BENEDETTINI (San Marinese)
- Marija DEFINIS-GOJANOVIĆ (Croatian)
- Mario FELICE (Maltese).
They were supported by Fabrice KELLENS, Head of Unit, Michael NEURAUTER, and Johan FRIESTEDT of the CPT's Secretariat, and assisted by three experts, Ioanna BABASSIKA, Legal Counsellor of the Medical Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims, Athens (Greece), Catherine PAULET, Psychiatrist, Regional Medical and Psychological Service, Marseilles (France), and Christian-Nils ROBERT, Professor in Criminal Law at the University of Geneva (Switzerland).
The delegation visited the following places:
Establishments under the Ministry of the Interior
- Temporary Holding Centre for Foreigners in Agrigento, Caltanissetta,
Lampedusa and Trapani
- Police Headquarters (Questura), Rome
- Civitavecchia Police Station
- Railway Police Station, Rome-Termini Railway Station
- Police Headquarters (Questura), Verona
Establishments under the Ministry of Justice
- Civitavecchia Remand Prison
- Verona-Monterio Prison
- Parma Prison
Establishments under the Ministry of Economy and Finance
- Guardia di Finanza Station, Civitavecchia
Establishments under the Ministry of the Defence
- Regional Carabinieri Headquarters, Verona
- Carabinieri Station, Lampedusa
Establishments under the Ministry of Health
- Department of Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment of San Giovanni di Dio
Hospital, Agrigento
- Secure rooms for detained persons, Verona General Hospital.
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