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Press Release

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

STRASBOURG, 23.05.2000 - 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 twelve-day visit to Poland. The visit began in Warsaw on 8 May 2000. It was the Committee's second periodic visit to Poland, the first visit having taken place in 1996.

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

• Ingrid LYCKE ELLINGSEN, First Vice-President of the CPT (Head of delegation) (Norwegian)
• Ales BUTALA (Slovenian)
• Renate KICKER (Austrian)
• Veronica PIMENOFF (Finnish)
• Rudolf SCHMUCK (German)
• Pieter Reinhard STOFFELEN (Dutch).

They were assisted by James MacKEITH (Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, United Kingdom) as well as by Petya NESTOROVA and Borys WÓDZ of the CPT’s Secretariat.

The delegation visited the following places:

Police establishments

• District Police Command, Gdansk, ul. Nowe Ogrody 27
• District Police Command, Gdynia, ul. Starowiejska 50
• District Police Command, Lódz – Baluty, ul. Ciesielska 27
• District Police Command, Lódz – Sródmiescie, ul. Sienkiewicza 28
• District Police Command, Przemysl, ul. Bohaterów Getta 1
• District Police Command, Rzeszów, ul. Jagiellonska 13
• Metropolitan Police Command, Warsaw, ul. Nowolipie 2
• District Police Command, Warsaw – Praga Pólnoc, ul. Cyryla i Metodego 4
• 1^st Police Station, Warsaw – Ursynów District, ul. Janowskiego 7
• 4^th District Police Command, Warsaw, ul. Zytnia 36
• 7^th District Police Command, Warsaw, ul. Grenadierów 73/75
• Police Station at Warsaw Central Railway Station
• Police establishment for children, Gdansk
• Police establishment for children, Rzeszów
• Detention facility for foreigners awaiting deportation, Gdynia
• Guarded Centre for Foreigners, Lesznowola

Border Guard establishments

• Morski Border Guard District Command, Gdansk
• Border Guard Unit at the Korczowa Border Crossing
• Border Guard Unit at the Medyka Road Border Crossing
• Border Guard Unit at the Medyka Railway Border Crossing, Przemysl Railway Station
• Bieszczadzki Border Guard District Command, Przemysl
• Border Guard detention facilities at Warsaw International Airport

Prisons

• Lódz Prison No. 2
• Przemysl Prison
• Rzeszów Prison
• Warszawa – Bialoleka Remand Prison

Psychiatric establishments

• Starogard Gdanski Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital

Sobering-up centres in Gdansk, Lódz and Rzeszów

Other establishments

• Emergency Care Centre, Warsaw, ul. Bonifacego 81

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 Poland and its consultations with the Polish 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. 40 of the 41 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, 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 remaining State - Georgia - signed the Convention on 16 February 2000.

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. 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 or Cathie BURTON
  tel. +33/(0)3.88.41.25.97 or 28.93 ; fax +33/(0)3.88.41.27.90; e-mail pressunit@coe.int
• the CPT’s Secretariat:
  tel. +33/(0)3.88.41.23.88; fax : +33/(0)3.88.41.27.72; e-mail cptdoc@coe.int