UN Committee against Torture to review Cabo Verde

GENEVA (21 November 2016) - The UN Committee against Torture is due to review Cabo Verde on 24 and 25 November in Geneva. Cabo Verde acceded to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in June 1992 and its initial report to the Committee has been pending since 1993. After several reminders, the Committee  decided to review the human rights situation in the country in the absence of a report from the State.

The review will take place at Palais Wilson in Geneva from 11:00-13:00 (9:00-11:00 in Praia) on 24 November and be webcast live at http://webtv.un.org/. The Committee will consider some of the following issues, among others: Definition of torture and statute of limitations for prosecutions; principle of non-refoulement in national legislation; prison conditions; cases of police brutality; and gender-based violence.

More information 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 Cabo Verde and the other States being reviewed – Ecuador, Finland, Monaco, Sri Lanka, Namibia, Turkmenistan, Armenia. 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

*A review in the absence of a State report is done in accordance with Rule 67(3) of the Committee’s rules of procedure.

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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