|
|||
|
| What's New ? | About the CPT | Members | States | Visits | Documents | Database |
|
|||||
|
Strasbourg, 07.12.2007 - 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 two-week visit to Serbia. The visit, which began on 19 November 2007, was the CPT’s second periodic visit to Serbia.
As regards law-enforcement agencies, the visit provided an opportunity to review the action taken by the Serbian authorities to improve the treatment of persons detained by the police and the practical operation of the safeguards in place. Further, the delegation examined in depth the treatment and regime of prisoners held in the closed, high-security and remand sections of three prisons: in Belgrade, Požarevac and Sremska Mitrovica. The delegation also carried out a follow-up visit to Serbia’s only prison hospital.
The delegation examined the situation of psychiatric patients at the Specialised Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Kovin. In addition, the delegation visited – for the first time in Serbia – an establishment for persons with learning disabilities, the Special Institution for Children and Juveniles in Stamnica.
In the course of the visit, the CPT’s delegation held consultations with Dušan PETROVIĆ, Minister of Justice, Tomica MILOSAVLJEVIĆ, Minister of Health, Rasim LJALIĆ, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Ljubinko NIKOLIĆ, Assistant to the Minister of Interior, and Gordana STOJANOVIĆ, Deputy Public Prosecutor, as well as with senior officials from relevant Ministries, the Agency of Human Rights and Minority Rights and the Security and Information Agency. It also met Saša JANKOVIĆ, the Serbian Ombudsman, and held discussions with members of non-governmental and international organisations active in areas of concern to the CPT.
At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary observations to the Serbian authorities.
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:
- Mauro PALMA (Italian), Head of Delegation and President of the CPT
- Pétur HAUKSSON (Icelander)
- Ann-Marie ORLER (Swedish)
- Vladimir ORTAKOV (citizen of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia")
- Jřrgen Worsaae RASMUSSEN (Danish).
They were supported by Borys WŇDZ and Isabelle SERVOZ-GALLUCCI of the CPT's
Secretariat, and assisted by two experts: Dan DERMENGIU, Professor, Head of
Forensic Medicine, "Carol Davila" Medical Faculty, Bucharest (Romania), and
Antonio MARCHESI, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of
Teramo, Italy (Italy).
The delegation visited the following places:
Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Interior
- Metropolitan Police Headquarters, 29 November Street, Belgrade
- Vračar Police Station, Belgrade
- Bor District Police Unit
- Indija Police Station
- Kovin Police Station
- Negotin Police Station
- Petrovac-na-Mlavi Police Station
- Ruma Police Station
- Smederevo District Police Unit
- Sremska Mitrovica District Police Unit
- Zaječar District Police Unit
Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Justice
- Belgrade District Prison (follow-up visit)
- Požarevac-Zabela Correctional Institution
- Sremska Mitrovica Correctional Institution (follow-up visit)
- Special Prison Hospital, Belgrade (follow-up visit)
The delegation also went to Negotin District Prison in order to interview
persons who had recently been in police custody.
Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Health
- Specialised Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Kovin
Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy
- Special Institution for Children and Juveniles, Stamnica.
| ^ |