News Flash
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits
Romania
Strasbourg, 23.09.2010 – 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 Romania from 5 to 16 September 2010.
In the course of the visit, the CPT's delegation reviewed the measures taken
by the Romanian authorities to implement the recommendations made by the
Committee after previous visits, in particular in the areas of detention by law
enforcement agencies and imprisonment. The delegation also examined in detail
the system and procedures in place to investigate cases of alleged ill-treatment
by members of the police or prison staff of persons arrested or imprisoned.
The delegation held consultations with Adrian STREINU-CERCEL, Secretary of State
at the Ministry of Health, Radu Constantin RAGEA and Gabriel TĂNĂSESCU,
respectively Under Secretary of State and Secretary General at the Ministry of
Justice, Marian TUTILESCU, Head of Department at the Ministry of the
Administration and the Interior, Dumitru PÂRVU, Deputy Inspector General of the
Romanian Police, and Lăcrămioara CORCHEŞ, Director General at the Ministry of
Labour, Family and Social Protection, as well as with other senior officials of
these ministries. It also held consultations with Tiberiu NIŢU, First Deputy
Prosecutor General, and other members of the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Further, the delegation met deputies of the People's Advocate (Romanian
Ombudsman). Discussions were also held with representatives of non-governmental
organisations active in areas of concern to the CPT.
In addition, the delegation had a meeting with Teodor Viorel MELEŞCANU,
Vice-President of the Senate, in order to discuss the issue of the alleged
existence some years ago of secret detention facilities on Romanian territory
operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States of
America.
At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary observations
to the Romanian authorities.
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:
- Marc NEVE, Head of delegation (Belgian)
- Régis BERGONZI (Monegasque)
- Maria Rita MORGANTI (San Marinese)
- Nadia POLNAREVA (Bulgarian)
- Jean-Pierre RESTELLINI (Swiss)
- Xavier RONSIN (French).
They were supported by Muriel ISELI and Isabelle SERVOZ-GALLUCCI of the CPT's
Secretariat, and assisted by Daniel GLEZER, psychiatrist, former Head of the
Regional Medico-Psychological Service at Baumettes Prison, Marseille (France).
The delegation visited the following places of deprivation of liberty:
Establishments under the Ministry of the Administration and the Interior
- Central detention facility (No. 1) at Bucharest
Municipal Police Headquarters, George Georgescu Street
- Detention facility No. 3 at Bucharest Police Station
Section 5, Bucurestii Noi Avenue
- Detention facility No. 8 at Bucharest Police Station
Section 13, Ciucea Street
- Detention facility at Dolj County Police Headquarters,
Craiova
- Police Station Section 3, Bucharest
- Police Station Section 5, Bucharest
- Ilfov Police Station.
Establishments under the Ministry of Justice
- Unit for Juveniles at Bucharest-Rahova Prison
- Unit for Juveniles at Craiova Prison for Juveniles and
Young Adults
- Poarta Albă Prison, Units II and IV (for prisoners
under maximum security regime, prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment or to
long sentences, and vulnerable prisoners)
- Găeşti Rehabilitation Centre
- Poarta Albă Prison Hospital.
- A "CPT Video-kit" is available for the audiovisual press. For more details
please access our page "For the press".
