UN torture prevention body to visit Ukraine 19 to 26 May

GENEVA (17 May 2016) – The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) will visit Ukraine from 19 to 26 May to assess the treatment of people deprived of their liberty, as well as the safeguards for their protection against torture and ill-treatment.

"We will be assessing how recommendations from our first visit in 2011, such as the need for legal reform, increased institutional oversight to reduce risk factors for torture, and comprehensive medical examinations of people in detention, have been implemented,” said Sir Malcolm Evans, SPT Chair and head of the delegation.

“The SPT’s work is conducted on the basis of confidentiality, but we encourage all States parties to agree to our reports being made public as an important tool in torture prevention. So we particularly welcome the recent agreement by the Ukrainian authorities to allow publication of our 2011 report*,” said Sir Malcolm.

The SPT has a mandate to visit all States that have ratified the Optional Protocol (OPCAT), which Ukraine did in 2006.

The four-member SPT delegation will meet government officials, members of parliament and civil society, and visit places where people may be deprived of liberty, including prisons, police stations, psychiatric institutions and residential care facilities.
 
The delegation will also hold talks with an independent national body mandated to monitor places of detention, officially known as a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). After the SPT’s first visit, Ukraine in November 2012 entrusted the NPM role to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.

"Our talks will focus on ways of strengthening efforts to prevent and eliminate torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees. This includes giving guidance to ensure the effective functioning of the national preventive mechanism established under OPCAT,” said Sir Malcolm.

The SPT delegation will be: Sir Malcolm Evans (United Kingdom), Ms. Mari Amos (Estonia), Ms. June Caridad Pagaduan Lopez (Philippines), and Mr. Victor Zaharia (Moldova).

ENDS

*SPT report on Ukraine – see: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CAT%2fOP%2fUKR%2f1&Lang=en
For more information, please contact :
In Ukraine: Aminta Ossom  +41 (0) 79 444 51 72 / aossom@ohchr.org 
In Geneva: Liz Throssell, +41 (0) 22 917 9466/ +41 79 752 0488 / ethrossell@ohchr.org

Background:

The Optional Protocol on the Prevention of Torture has to date been ratified by 81 countries. The SPT communicates its recommendations and observations to the State by means of a confidential report, and if necessary to National Preventive Mechanisms. However, State parties are encouraged to request that the SPT makes these reports public.
The SPT is composed of 25 independent and impartial experts from different regions of the world. More about the SPT: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/OPCAT/Pages/OPCATIndex.aspx

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