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Press Release

Visit to Kaliningrad by Council of Europe's Anti-Torture Committee

STRASBOURG, 07.04.2003 - 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 one-week visit to the Kaliningrad Region of the Russian Federation. It was the CPT’s first visit to this enclave of the Russian Federation, surrounded by countries which will soon join the European Union.

The visit focused mainly on the arrangements for the transit of prisoners and psychiatric patients between the Kaliningrad Region and the rest of Russia, and the authorities' plans for the future. To avoid lengthy delays and other problems related to the transfer of prisoners, the regional authorities are in the process of setting up facilities offering the full range of regimes envisaged by the legislation.

The CPT's delegation also explored the application in practice of the provisions of the new Code of Criminal Procedure regarding police detention.

More information on the visit and the places visited is available on the CPT’s website: http://www.cpt.coe.int

Additional Information

In the course of the visit, the CPT’s delegation met Alexandr TORBA, Deputy Governor of Kaliningrad Region, Nikolai RULYOV, First Deputy Head of the Ministry of Justice's Main Department for the Execution of Punishments (GUIN) in the North-West Federal District, Ilgiz FATIHOV, Deputy Head of the Department of Internal Affairs of Kaliningrad Region, Alexander BELYAEV, Head of the Health Care Department of Kaliningrad Region, Yuri KOZLOV, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Federal Border Service of Kaliningrad Region, Leonid RUDITSA, Military Commander of Kaliningrad Garrison, Yuri KORZIN, Prosecutor in Charge of Supervising Legality in Establishments for the Execution of Sentences in Kaliningrad Region, and Mrs Irina VERSHININA, Plenipotentiary for Human Rights of Kaliningrad Region.

The visit, which took place from 25 March to 1 April 2003, was carried out by the following members of the CPT:

- Aleš BUTALA (Head of the delegation) (Slovenian)
- Anhelita KAMENSKA (Latvian)
- Veronica PIMENOFF (Finnish)
- Eric SVANIDZE (Georgian).

They were assisted by Eric DURAND (former Head of medical services at Fleury-Mérogis Prison, France) and Timothy HARDING (Director of the University Institute of Forensic Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland), as well as by Borys WÓDZ of the CPT's Secretariat.

The delegation visited the following places:

Police establishments

-  Temporary Holding Facility (IVS) at Bagratyonovsk Department of Internal Affairs
-  Temporary Holding Facility (IVS) at Gusev Department of Internal Affairs
-  Temporary Holding Facility (IVS) at Kaliningrad Department of Internal Affairs
-  Leningradskyi District Command of Internal Affairs, Kaliningrad
-  Moskovskyi District Command of Internal Affairs, Kaliningrad
-  Reception and Distribution Centre of Kaliningrad Department of Internal Affairs
-  Special Reception Centre for Persons under Administrative Arrest, Oktyabrskyi District  
   Command of Internal Affairs, Kaliningrad
-  Temporary Holding Centre for Juvenile Offenders, Kaliningrad

Prison establishments

-  SIZO No 1, Kaliningrad
-  SIZO No 2, Kolosovka
-  Colony No 13, Slavyanovka

Psychiatric establishments

-  Psychiatric Hospital with Intensive Supervision, Chernyakhovsk

Federal Border Service establishments

-  Temporary Holding Facility (IVS) at the Headquarters of the Federal Border Service of  Kaliningrad Region
-  Mamonovo Border Crossing Point
-  Federal Border Service Unit No 2297, Mamonovo.