European Anti-Torture Committee visits the Far East of the Russian Federation

STRASBOURG, 20.12.2001 - A delegation of the COUNCIL OF EUROPE Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has recently carried out a sixteen-day visit to the Russian Federation. The visit, which began in Moscow on 2 December 2001, was the CPT's third periodic visit to the Russian Federation. It completed the programme of periodic visits of the Committee for the year 2001.

The visit focused on two parts of the Far East of the Russian Federation, the Khabarovsk and Primorskyi Territories. Places of detention visited included a medical-correctional establishment for drug addicts and a penal colony for women with a baby unit; this was the first time that a CPT delegation examined the treatment of persons held in such places in the Russian Federation. The delegation also visited a number of Militia establishments in Moscow.

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

    -     John OLDEN, Head of the delegation (Irish)
    -     Aurel KISTRUGA (Moldovan)
    -     Andres LEHTMETS (Estonian)
    -     Veronica PIMENOFF (Finnish)
    -     Jagoda POLONCOVÁ (Slovakian)
    -     Jean-Pierre RESTELLINI (Swiss)

They were assisted by three members of the CPT's Secretariat: Petya NESTOROVA, Borys WÒDZ and Michael KELLETT.

The delegation visited the following places:

Khabarovsk Territory
- Temporary holding facility (IVS) at the Khabarovsk Directorate of Internal Affairs
- Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Far East Federal District, Khabarovsk
- Industrialnyi District Command of Internal Affairs, Khabarovsk
- Tsentralnyi District Command of Internal Affairs, Khabarovsk
- Zheleznodorozhnyi District Command of Internal Affairs, Khabarovsk
- 1^st Militia Division of the Tsentralnyi District Command of Internal Affairs, Khabarovsk
- 4^th Militia Division of the Zheleznodorozhnyi District Command of Internal Affairs, Khabarovsk
- Temporary holding facility (IVS) at the Komsomolsk-na-Amure Directorate of Internal Affairs
- 3^rd Militia Division, Zavodskaya Street, Komsomolsk-na-Amure
- 5^th Militia Division, Oktyabrskaya Street, Komsomolsk-na-Amure

Primorskyi Territory
- Temporary holding facility (IVS) at the Vladivostok Directorate of Internal Affairs
- Frunzenskyi District Command of Internal Affairs, Vladivostok
- Leninskyi District Command of Internal Affairs, Vladivostok
- Pervomayskyi District Command of Internal Affairs, Vladivostok
- Sovetskyi District Command of Internal Affairs, Vladivostok
- 1^st Militia Division of the Leninskyi District Command of Internal Affairs, Vladivostok

Penitentiary establishments
Khabarovsk Territory
- Colony No 8 in the village of Start (Komsomolsk-na-Amure Region)
- Colony No 12 for women in the village of Zaozernyi (Khabarovsk Region)

Primorskyi Territory
- SIZO No 1 in Vladivostok
- Medical-correctional establishment LIU No 23 for drug addicts in Ussuryisk

Psychiatric establishments
Primorskyi Territory
- Vladivostok City Psychiatric Hospital

Military detention facilities
Khabarovsk Territory
- Garrison "Gauptvachta", Khabarovsk
- Garrison "Gauptvachta", Komsomolsk-na-Amure

Federal Border Service establishments
Primorskyi Territory
- Federal Border Service Headquarters in the village of Pogranichnyi

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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.

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The CPT was set up under the 1987 European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 41 of the 43 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, Georgia, 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. When they joined the Council of Europe in January 2001, Armenia and Azerbaijan undertook to ratify the Convention within one year.

The CPT is composed of persons from a variety of backgrounds: lawyers, medical doctors, police and 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 and to interview those persons in private. 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 other visits which appear to it to be required in the circumstances.

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Further information about the CPT may be obtained from: