Foreword
2017 was once again an eventful year for the CPT. In addition to the scheduled periodic
visits, the CPT carried out a number of ad hoc visits focused on specific topics such as
immigration detention (visits to Hungary and Italy), police custody and remand detention (visits to Azerbaijan and Serbia) and treatment of forensic psychiatric patients (visit
to Albania). In addition, the CPT visited the United Kingdom Sovereign Base Areas on
Cyprus and Northern Ireland, and also returned to the Chechen Republic of the Russian
Federation to look into the treatment of persons held by law enforcement officials.
The Committee has continued to explore ways to strengthen the dialogue with the
state authorities after visits, reports and responses. High-level talks have proved to
be a useful element of such dialogue. Their primary objective is usually to discuss
what action is being taken or envisaged by the respective governments to implement
key recommendations made in recent CPT visit reports. There have also been cases
in the past where the Committee was considering issuing a public statement under
Article 10, paragraph 2, of the Convention establishing the Committee and the high level
of commitment demonstrated by the governments concerned in the context of these
talks was such that it rendered the issuing of such a statement unnecessary. In 2017, the
CPT held high-level talks in Albania, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, “the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia” and the United Kingdom. This is the highest number of high-level talks
ever carried out by the CPT in a given year.
Regrettably, in the light of its most recent findings during its 2017 periodic visit to
Belgium, the CPT felt duty-bound to issue a public statement on the ongoing failure of
the Belgian authorities to implement a key longstanding recommendation of the CPT
to put in place a minimum level of service guaranteeing the rights of inmates during
periods of industrial action by prison staff. In the CPT’s experience, the frequency
and intensity of these strikes by staff are rather unique in Europe. In the absence of a
guaranteed minimum service, such strikes have devastating effects on the day-to-day
lives of prisoners. The CPT hopes that a solution to this issue can be found and that the
Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will
continue to pay particular attention to this important matter.
In 2017, the CPT also boosted its efforts to make its views more visible and accessible. The
Committee has updated its standards on means of restraint in psychiatric establishments
for adults and encouraged the Secretariat to issue factsheets. The first factsheet, which
dealt with immigration detention, was published in March 2017.
Finally, the second half of the year 2017 was marked by the emergence of unprecedented
budgetary challenges within the Council of Europe. On various occasions, both the
Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly have underlined the importance which they attach to the monitoring work of the CPT. These are valuable signs
of support; indeed the Committee always strives to carry out its task as effectively as
possible whilst making the best use of its resources. It is vital that this monitoring work
be maintained even in a very difficult budgetary context.
Mykola Gnatovskyy, President of the CPT
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