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Press Release

First visit to the Russian Federation by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture

STRASBOURG, 4.12.98 - A delegation of the COUNCIL OF EUROPE's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) recently carried out a fifteen day visit to the Russian Federation (16 to 30 November 1998). It was the CPT's first visit to the Russian Federation, the Convention setting up the Committee having entered into force for Russia on 1 September 1998.

In the course of the visit, the CPT's delegation focused its attention on pre-trial detention and the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by the Militia. In addition to visiting a number of pre-trial and Militia establishments in Moscow City and the regions of Nizhnyi Novgorod and Saratov, the delegation held extensive consultations with the Russian authorities, at both federal and regional level.

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

• Constantin ECONOMIDES, Head of the Delegation (Greek)
• Emilia DRUMEVA (Bulgarian)
• Zdenek HÁJEK (Czech)
• Adam LAPTAS (Polish)
• Gisela PERREN-KLINGLER (Swiss)
• Jagoda POLONCOVÁ (Slovak).

They were assisted by three experts - Andrew COYLE (Director of the International Centre for Prison Studies, King's College, London), Enda DOOLEY (Director of Prison Medical Services, Department of Justice, Dublin) and Jean-Pierre RESTELLINI (Specialist in forensic and internal medicine, Geneva) - as well as by Trevor STEVENS (Secretary of the CPT) and Petya NESTOROVA of the CPT’s Secretariat.

The delegation visited the following places:

Pre-trial establishments (SIZO)

• SIZO N° 2 ("Butyrka") in Moscow
• SIZO N° 1 in Nizhnyi Novgorod
• SIZO N° 1 in Saratov

Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs

Moscow

• Temporary holding facility (IVS) at Moscow City Directorate of Internal Affairs (Petrovka St.)
• Moscow City Regional Directorate for Combating Organised Crime
• Kazanskyi Railway Station Division of Internal Affairs
• Divisions of Internal Affairs at Sheremetevo-1 and 2 Airports

Central Administrative Area:

• 11th Division of the Militia, 2nd District Command of Internal Affairs (Barrikadnaya St.)
• 5th Division of the Militia, 3rd District Command of Internal Affairs (Gorky St.)
• 68th Division of the Militia, 7th District Command of Internal Affairs (Myasnitskaya St.)

North-East Administrative Area:

• Alekseevskee District Division of Internal Affairs (Novoalekseevskaya St.)
• Otradnoe District Division of Internal Affairs (Olonetskaya St.)
• Temporary holding facility (IVS) (Dekabristov St.)

East Administrative Area:

• Izmailovo District Division of Internal Affairs (Izmailovskaya Square)
• Temporary holding facility (IVS) (Parkovaya St.)

South-West Administrative Area:

• Kon'kovo District Division of Internal Affairs (Profsoyuznaya St.)

North-West Administrative Area:

• Strogino District Division of Internal Affairs (Tvardovskovo St.)

Nizhnyi Novgorod

• Avtozavodskoe District Division of Internal Affairs
• Nizhegorodskoe District Command of Internal Affairs (N. Volzhskaya Naberezhnaya St.)
• Volgo-Vyatskoe Regional Directorate for Combating Organised Crime

Saratov

• Engels City Command of Internal Affairs (Telegrafnaya St.)
• 3rd, 4th and 5th Divisions of the Militia, Engels
• Saratov City Command of Internal Affairs (Moskovskaya St.)
• Leninskoe District Command of Internal Affairs, Saratov (Ippodrumnaya St.)
• Zavodskoe District Command of Internal Affairs, Saratov (Entuziastov Av.)
• "KOBRA" unit, Saratov

Other establishments

• Moscow City Hospital N° 20 (Security ward)
• Transit zone at Sheremetevo-2 Airport, Moscow
• Holding facility for aliens at Sheremetevo Hotel, Moscow

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 the Russian Federation and its consultations with the Russian 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. All the 40 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, Lithuania (as from 1 March 1999), Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the 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 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, tel. +33/(0)3 88 41 25 97; fax +33/(0)3 88 41 27 90; e-mail pressunit@coe.fr
• 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

A political organisation set up in 1949, the Council of Europe promotes democracy and human rights continent-wide. It also develops common responses to social, cultural and legal challenges in its 40 member states.