CAT/C/62/D/672/2015 United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Distr.: General 19 December 2017 Original: English Committee against Torture Decision adopted by the Committee under article 22 of the Convention, concerning communication No. 672/2015*, ** Communication submitted by: John Alfred Vogel (represented by counsel, Tony Ellis) Alleged victim: The complainant State party: New Zealand Date of complaint: 5 January 2015 Date of decision: 14 November 2017 Subject matter: Solitary confinement Procedural issue: State party’s reservation to article 14 Substantive issues: Cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; right to fair and adequate compensation Articles of the Convention: 14 and 16 1.1 The complainant is John Alfred Vogel, a national of New Zealand born in 1965. He claims that the prolonged solitary confinement to which he was subjected and the denial of his right to adequate compensation therefor constitute a violation by New Zealand of articles 14 and 16 of the Convention. The complainant is represented by counsel. 1.2 Upon ratification of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment on 10 December 1989, the State party entered a reservation to article 14. The reservation states that the Government of New Zealand reserves the right to award compensation to torture victims at the sole discretion of the Attorney General of New Zealand. The facts as presented by the complainant 2.1 On 26 February 1998, the complainant was sentenced to life imprisonment after having been found guilty of murder. After serving 10 years of the sentence, he was released on parole on 4 May 1998. In January 2000, however, he was recalled to prison after having been convicted on further charges.1 * Adopted by the Committee at its sixty-second session (6 November–6 December 2017). ** The following members of the Committee participated in the examination of the communication: 1 Essadia Belmir, Alessio Bruni, Felice Gaer, Abdelwahab Hani, Claude Heller Rouassant, Jens Modvig, Ana Racu, Sébastien Touzé and Kening Zhang. See High Court of New Zealand, John Alfred Vogel v. the Attorney-General, judgment of 24 February 2012. GE.17-22819(E) 

Select target paragraph3