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Council of Europe Anti-Torture Committee visits Norway

Strasbourg - 18.10.2005 - 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 periodic visit to Norway from 3 to 10 October 2005. It was the Committee's fourth visit to this country.

The delegation followed up a number of issues examined during previous visits, including, in particular, the fundamental safeguards against ill-treatment offered to persons deprived of their liberty by the police, the restrictions imposed upon remand prisoners and the situation in psychiatric hospitals. Further, the delegation examined the treatment of prisoners detained in units with very high security.

In the course of the visit, the delegation met in particular Odd Einar DØRUM, Minister of Justice and the Police, as well as senior officials from the Ministries of Justice and the Police, of Health, and of Labour and Social Affairs. The delegation also held meetings with the authorities responsible for issues concerning aliens. Further, the delegation met Tor-Aksel BUSCH, Director General of Public Prosecutions, Arne FLIFLET, Parliamentary Ombudsman, and Reidar HJERMANN, Ombudsman for Children.

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

        -         Aleš BUTALA, Head of delegation (Slovenian)
        -         Pétur HAUKSSON (Icelander)
        -         Isolde KIEBER (Liechtenstein)
        -         Petros MICHAELIDES (Cypriot).

They were supported by Muriel ISELI and Edo KORLJAN of the CPT's Secretariat, and assisted by two experts: Marianne KASTRUP, Psychiatrist, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, and Bertel ÖSTERDAHL, former Director General of the Swedish Prison and Probation Administration.

The delegation visited the following places:

Police establishments

        -         Oslo Police District Headquarters
        -         Trondheim Police Station
        -         Trandum Aliens Holding Centre

Prisons

        -         Ila Prison
        -         Ringerike Prison
        -         Trondheim Prison

Psychiatric establishments

        -     Sør-Trøndelag psychiatric hospital, Brøset, Trondheim

The delegation also went to Stavanger Prison with a view to meeting remand prisoners subject to very high security conditions of detention.