CAT/C/63/D/678/2015
United Nations
Convention against Torture
and Other Cruel, Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment
Distr.: General
11 June 2018
Original: English
Committee against Torture
Decision adopted by the Committee under article 22 of the
Convention, concerning communication No. 678/2015*, **
Communication submitted by:
I.K. (represented by counsel, Knut Rognlien)
Alleged victim:
The complainant
State party:
Norway
Date of complaint:
10 September 2013 (initial submission)
Date of adoption of decision:
16 May 2018
Subject matter:
Ill-treatment by State authorities; failure to
investigate
Procedural issues:
Admissibility — other procedure; failure to
exhaust domestic remedies; victim status
Substantive issues:
Ill-treatment in detention — prompt and
impartial investigation; training of law
enforcement officials; solitary confinement
Articles of the Convention:
10, 11, 12 and 16
1.
The complainant is I.K., a national of Norway born in the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics in 1961. He claims to be a victim of a violation by Norway of his rights under
articles 10, 11, 12 and 16 of the Convention. The State party made the declaration under
article 22 of the Convention on 9 July 1986. The complainant is represented by counsel,
Knut Rognlien.
The facts as presented by the complainant
2.1
On 8 November 2006, the complainant was arrested and taken to Oslo Central
Police Station. He was arrested for disturbing public law and order by smashing a window
during a dispute at a friend’s house, and later was also charged with biting a police officer’s
hand while being transported to the police station. 1 He was put in solitary confinement2 and
kept there overnight until being released the following morning. When arrested, and during
*
**
1
2
Adopted by the Committee at its sixty-third session (23 April–18 May 2018).
The following members of the Committee participated in the examination of the communication:
Essadia Belmir, Abdelwahab Hani, Claude Heller Rouassant, Jens Modvig, Ana Racu, Diego
Rodríguez-Pinzón, Sébastien Touzé, Bakhtiyar Tuzmukhamedov and Honghong Zhang.
The police report shows that the complainant was intoxicated and aggressive, and had to be subdued
by the arresting officers. During the interview with the police on 9 November 2006, the complainant
admitted to having drunk two small glasses of beer the night before.
The complainant uses the term “solitary confinement” to refer to a single holding cell at the police
station.
GE.18-09493(E)