United Nations
CAT/OP/ARG/1
Distr.: General
Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and
Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment
27 November 2013
English
Original: Spanish
Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment
Report of the visit of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment to Argentina * **
Contents
Paragraphs Page
I.Introduction1–143
II.National preventive mechanism15–164
III.Situation of persons deprived of their liberty17–1025
A.Police custody17–345
B.Prisons35–888
C.Juvenile detention centres89–9316
D.Psychiatric institutions94–10217
IV.Investigations dealing with torture and ill-treatment103–11419
Annexes
I.List of persons with whom the Subcommittee met22
II.Places of deprivation of liberty visited25
I.Introduction
1.In accordance with articles 1 and 11 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment (hereinafter referred to as “the Optional Protocol”), the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture
(hereinafter referred to as “the Subcommittee”) visited Argentina from 18 to 27 April 2012.
2.The Subcommittee was represented by the following members: Víctor Rodríguez-Rescia (head of the delegation), Marija DefinisGojanovic, Emilio Ginés, Zdenek Hajek, Lowell Goddard and Miguel Sarre.
3.The delegation of the Subcommittee was assisted by four human rights officers from the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and by United Nations interpreters and security officers.
4.During the visit, the members of the Subcommittee focused their attention on Buenos Aires Province and the City of Buenos Aires.
5.Although this report does not present a detailed discussion of each and every one of the sites that were visited, the Subcommittee
reserves the right to refer to any of those locations during its future dialogue with the State party. The absence of comments in the
report about any given institution does not mean that the Subcommittee has reached any conclusions, either favourable or
unfavourable, about it.
6.In addition to visiting places of deprivation of liberty, members of the Subcommittee met with governmental authorities,
representatives of the United Nations system in the country and members of civil society. The Subcommittee wishes to express its
appreciation to all those persons for the valuable information which they provided.
7.At the conclusion of the visit, the members of the Subcommittee apprised the Argentine authorities of their preliminary observations
in a confidential oral presentation. The State party submitted its comments regarding those observations on 19 and 27 July 2012 and
on 16 August 2012. The Subcommittee wishes to express its gratitude to the Argentine authorities for their cooperation and
assistance during the visit. Those preliminary observations should be acted upon, as they constitute a supplement to this report. For
that reason, those findings are not repeated here except as appropriate.