UN Committee against Torture to review Armenia

GENEVA (17 November 2016) - The UN Committee against Torture is due to review Armenia on 23 and 24 November in Geneva. Armenia has ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and so is required to be reviewed regularly by the Committee.

Among the possible issues for discussion between CAT members and a delegation from the Armenian Government are:

• Allegations of torture and ill-treatment by law enforcement officials;
• Right of victims of torture to redress;
• Non-combat deaths in the armed forces, hazing and other mistreatment of conscripts by officers and fellow soldiers;
• Fundamental legal safeguards against torture for detainees;
• Practice of police officers discouraging detainees from requesting legal assistance;
• Measures taken to ensure independence and impartiality of the judiciary;
• Eradication of violence against women;
• Prison conditions and overcrowding.

The review will take place at Palais Wilson in Geneva from 10:00 to 13:00 (13:00-16:00 in Yerevan) on 23 November and 15:00 to 18:00 on 24 November (19:00-22:00) and be webcast live at http://webtv.un.org/. The Committee will also hear from NGO representatives.

More information, including Armenia’s submitted written report, at: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1085&Lang=en

The Committee has scheduled a press conference for Wednesday, 7 December at 12:30 at the Palais des Nations to discuss its findings on Armenia and the other States being reviewed – Ecuador, Finland, Monaco, Sri Lanka, Namibia, Turkmenistan, Cape Verde. These findings, officially known as concluding observations, will be published here on 7 December: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1085&Lang=en
         
ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact Liz Throssell +41 (0) 22 917 9466/ +41 79 752 0488 ethrossell@ohchr.org)

Media accreditation:    http://unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpPages)/70991F6887C73B2280256EE700379C58?OpenDocument

Background

Members of the CAT are independent human rights experts drawn from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States parties. The Committee’s concluding observations are an independent assessment of States’ compliance with their human rights obligations under the treaty. More information:  http://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/cat/pages/catindex.aspx

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