CAT/C/CZE/CO/4-5
(d)
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (21 July 2009).
5.
The Committee notes the State party’s ongoing extensive efforts to revise its
legislation in areas of relevance to the Convention, including:
(a)
Amendment of the Ombudsman Act, granting the Ombudsman the power to
act as the national preventive mechanism in compliance with the Optional Protocol to the
Convention, which entered into force on 1 January 2006 (Act No. 381/2005);
(b)
Amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure in 2008 and 2011 relating to
extradition and claims to compensation by victims of crime, including torture (Acts No.
457/2008 and No. 181/2011);
(c)
Amendments to the Asylum Act in 2006 (Act No. 165/2006) and in 2011
(Act No. 303/2011);
(d)
Amendments to the Domestic Violence Act which entered into force on 1
January 2007 (Act No. 135/2006);
(e)
New Act on the Police Force of the Czech Republic (Act No. 273/2008);
(f)
Entry into force on 1 January 2009 of the new Security Detention Act (Act
No. 129/2008);
(g)
The entry into force on 1 September 2009 of Act No. 198/2009 on Equal
Treatment and Legal Means of Protection against Discrimination (the Antidiscrimination
Act);
(h)
Entry into force on 1 January 2010 of the new Criminal Code (Act No.
40/2009) establishing racial motive as an aggravating circumstance for a number of crimes;
(i)
The new Act on Special Medical Services, effective 1 April 2012 (Act No.
373/2102 Coll).
6.
The Committee also welcomes the efforts of the State party to amend its policies,
programmes and administrative measures to ensure greater protection of human rights and
give effect to the Convention, including:
(a)
Adoption of the Strategy for the Work of the Czech Police Force in Relation
to Minorities 2008-2012;
(b)
Adoption of the National Plan of Action for the Implementation of the
National Strategy to Prevent Violence against Children in Czech Republic 2008-2018;
(c)
Approval of the National Action Plan to Transform and Unify the System for
the Care of Vulnerable Children in the period 2009-2011;
(d)
Adoption of the National Action Plan for the Prevention of Domestic
Violence for the Years 2011-2014;
(e)
Adoption of the National Strategy against Human Trafficking in the Czech
Republic for the Years 2012-2015;
(f)
Establishment of the General Inspection of Security Forces in January 2012
(Act No. 341/2011).
C.
Principal subjects of concern and recommendations
Definition of torture
7.
While noting that article 10 of the Constitution accords primacy to international
treaties approved by the Parliament over domestic legislation, the Committee is concerned
2