[prisoner-rights] UN Sub-Committee on Prevention of Torture concludes second session, annouces its initial visits

UNITED NATIONS Press release
3 July 2007

The Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) has announced the initial phase of
its visits programme for 2007/2008.

During its second session last week held from 26-29 June 2007, the SPT
notified the authorities of Mauritius, Sweden, the Maldives and Paraguay
of its plans to carry out visits to these four States Parties. The
countries to receive the visits during 2007 or early 2008 have been chosen
in accordance with the Optional Protocol. The SPT met with representatives
from the Permanent Missions of each of the four States Parties in order to
discuss the visiting programme and the modalities of SPT visits.

The SPT consists of 10 independent expert members carrying out preventive
visits to places of detention in all States Parties to the Optional
Protocol to the Convention against Torture.

The SPT has a mandate to visit all State Parties, with a view to
strengthening, if necessary, the protection of persons deprived of liberty
against torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Every State Party is
obliged under the Optional Protocol to grant the SPT unrestricted access
to any place of detention and to provide all the relevant information the
SPT may request. The SPT may have private interviews with persons deprived
of liberty and any other person believed by the SPT to be able to provide
relevant information.

In the framework of the close cooperation between the SPT and the State
parties, the SPT would like to make itself available for an ongoing
dialogue concerning the National Preventive Mechanisms, which State
Parties undertake to establish and maintain. Advising and assisting in the
development of effective and independent national preventive mechanisms is
a key element in the SPT's work and will form an important part of each
visit. The SPT will be communicating in the near future more specific
details on how it intends to approach issues relating to National
Preventive Mechanisms.

For further information on the SPT, please consult the website
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/opcat/