ADVANCE UNEDITED VERSION
Committee against Torture
Concluding observations on the initial report of Seychelles*
1.
The Committee against Torture considered the initial report of Seychelles
(CAT/C/SYC/1) at its 1664th and 1666th meetings, held on 30 and 31 July 2018
(CAT/C/SR.1664 and CAT/C/SR.1666), and adopted the following concluding observations
at its 1677th and 1678th meetings (CAT/C/SR.1677 and CAT/C/SR.1678) held on 8 and 9
August 2018.
A.
Introduction
2.
The Committee regrets that the submission of the State party’s initial report was 25
years late and was received only during the first week of its 64 th session. It welcomes,
however, the constructive dialogue via video conference with the State party’s delegation
and the oral replies provided to the concerns raised by the Committee. Seychelles acceded to
the Convention on 5 May 1992 and was under an obligation to submit its initial report under
article 19, paragraph 1, of the Convention by 3 June 1993. Each year thereafter, Seychelles
was included in the list of States parties with overdue reports in the annual report which the
Committee submits to the States parties and the General Assembly. By a letter dated 28
November 2014, the Committee reminded the State party about the overdue initial report and
about the possibility for the Committee to proceed with a review in the absence of such a
report. On 9 April 2015, the Committee invited the State party to accept the simplified
reporting procedure to assist it in preparing its overdue report and reiterated the Committee’s
view regarding the possibility of a review in the absence of a report as a result of the extended
delay in its submission. On 14 August 2017, the Committee informed the State party of its
decision to review the situation in Seychelles in the absence of a report, in accordance with
rule 67, paragraph 3, of its rules of procedure, while maintaining the possibility for the State
party to send its initial report or to accept the simplified reporting procedure. The State party
never responded to these communications or to the reminder sent on 8 February 2018. Two
weeks before the 64th session, the State party informed the Committee that it would be
sending a report the following week and inquired about the possibility to conduct the
constructive dialogue by video conference. The State party’s report was received on 24 July
2018 and did not, therefore, allow for its translation into the official languages of the United
Nations and for the presentation of alternative reports by the other stakeholders, including
the national human rights institution, civil society organizations, especially human rights
non-governmental organizations. The constructive dialogue with the delegation of the State
party took place by video conference on 30 and 31 July 2018.
* Adopted by the Committee at its sixty-fourth session (23 July-10 August 2018).
GE.