[prisoner-rights] Council of Europe Anti-Torture Committee visits France

Strasbourg, 18.10.2006 -- 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 13-day visit to France. The
CPT's ninth visit to France began on 27 September 2006.

During the visit, the delegation reviewed the steps taken by the French
authorities following certain recommendations made by the CPT after its
previous visits: material conditions in various administrative detention
centres for foreigners and at the immigration waiting area (ZAPI III) at
Charles de Gaulle Airport, and deportation procedures; the use of
restraints at the National Public Health Establishment at Fresnes; and
conditions of custody in police, gendarmerie and customs administration
establishments.

The delegation also examined in detail the recently adopted procedures and
safeguards in the context of counter-terrorism operations through visits
to the French Counter-Intelligence Service ('DST'), the Anti-Terrorist
Division of the Central Directorate of Judicial Police ('SDAT'), and the
pratical implementation of these procedures in Corsica. As regards the
prison system, it examined several specific detention regimes, as well as
medical and psychiatric care for detainees (in particular those provided
by several regional medical and psychological departments). It also
visited, for the first time, a jointly managed (public-private) remand
prison in Seysses, near Toulouse, as well as a Closed Educational Centre
for Minors at Mont de Marsan. The delegation also assessed the conditions
in which health care was provided to detainees in the secure rooms at
Moulins-Yzeure Hospital.

In the course of the visit, the delegation held consultations with the
Minister of Justice, Mr CLEMENT, the Director of the Prison
Administration, and several senior officials. Further, the delegation met
with the Directors of the Private Office of the Interior and Health
Ministers, as well as the Director-General of the Gendarmerie, the
Director-General of the National Police, the Paris Police Prefect and the
Prosecutor General of Bastia.

Discussions were also held with the Ombudsman, the Ombudsman for Children,
the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights, the National Ethics
and Security Commission, as well as with representatives of
non-governmental organisations active in areas of concern to the CPT.

At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary
observations to the French authorities.

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

- Marc NEVE, Head of delegation (Belgian) 
- Haritini DIPLA (Greek) 
- Petros MICHAELIDES (Cypriot) 
- Joan Miquel RASCAGNERES LLAGOSTERA (Andorran) 
- Jean-Pierre RESTELLINI (Swiss) 
- Florin STNESCU (Romanian).

They were supported by Fabrice KELLENS, Deputy Executive Secretary,
and Caterina BOLOGNESE of the CPT's Secretariat, and assisted by two
experts: Timothy HARDING, Director of the University Institute of
Forensic Medicine, Geneva (Switzerland) and Christian-Nils ROBERT,
Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Geneva (Switzerland). 

The delegation visited the following places: 

Law enforcement establishments 

- French Counter-Intelligence Service ('DST'), Rue
Nélaton, Paris 
- Anti-Terrorist Division of the Central Directorate of Judicial
Police (“SDAT”), Rue des Saussaies, Paris
- "Dépôt" of the Paris Police Prefecture (including the
Administrative Detention Centre for Women), Quai de l’Horloge,
Paris
- Moulins Police Station (Allier) 
- Bastia Police Headquarters (holding cells, administrative detention
premises and judicial police investigation services of Upper Corsica)

- Toulouse Police Headquarters
- Upper Corsica Gendarmerie Headquarters (holding cells and research
brigade) 
- St Michel Autonomous Territorial Brigade of the Gendarmerie,
Toulouse
- Palaiseau, Vincennes 1 and Vincennes 2 Administrative Detention
Centres for Foreigners 
- Administrative Detention Centre for Foreigners in Marseille 
- Blagnac 2 Administrative Detention Centre for Foreigners in
Toulouse 

At Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport: 

- Police Headquarters (“5720” Building) 
- Immigration Waiting Zone (ZAPI III) and Border Police Divisions (at
Terminals 1 (Division and Station), 2A, 2E and 2F) 
- Mobile Research Brigade (Immigration) of the Border Police 
- Local Removal Unit
- Holding facilities used by the Customs Administration, Terminal 2

Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Justice 

- Fresnes Remand Prison (unit for male prisoners, disciplinary and
seclusion units, regional medical and psychological service
(“SMPR”)) 
- National Public Health Establishment, Fresnes 
- Seysses Remand Prison (including the SMPR) 
- Moulins-Yzeure Prison (including the UCSA) 
- Closed Educational Centre for Minors, Mont de Marsan
- Holding cells of the Bastia Courthouse 
- Secure waiting room at the Moulins Courthouse 

Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Health 

- Secure rooms at Moulins-Yzeure Hospital 
- Georges Marchand Hospital, Toulouse (targeted visit on the
procedures and conditions of hospitalisation of detainees) 

Further, the CPT's delegation held discussions with detainees charged with
or sentenced for acts of terrorism at Borgo Prison. In this establishment
it also consulted medical files on admission and interviewed persons held
under ordinary criminal law who had recently been in the custody of law
enforcement agencies.