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

STRASBOURG, 06.02.2007 -- A delegation of the Council of Europe's
Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment (CPT) carried out an ad hoc visit to Hungary from 30 January
to 1 February 2007. This was the CPT's fourth visit to Hungary.

The main purpose of the visit was to examine the situation at Szeged
Prison's Special Regime Unit for prisoners serving lengthy sentences (HSR
Unit). In the report on its third periodic visit to Hungary in 2005, the
CPT made a number of recommendations and comments in respect of plans to
open a special unit at Szeged Prison for "actual lifers” (i.e.
prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment who cannot be released except on
compassionate grounds by pardon). In particular, the Committee stressed
that it could see no justification for keeping "actual lifers” apart
from other prisoners serving lengthy sentences. In their response, the
Hungarian authorities informed the CPT of the setting-up of the HSR Unit.

At the end of the visit, the delegation held discussions with József
PETRÉTEI, Minister of Justice and Law Enforcement, Ferenc KONDOROSI,
Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice and Law Enforcement, and
László CSERE, Director General of the Prison Service.

**

The CPT's delegation consisted of Renate KICKER, Head of delegation and
member of the Committee in respect of Austria, Vladimir ORTAKOV, CPT
member in respect of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", James
McMANUS, expert and Professor of Criminal Justice at Glasgow Caledonian
University, United Kingdom, and Johan FRIESTEDT of the CPT's Secretariat.