Committee against Torture discusses follow-up to individual communications, concluding observations, and reprisals

GENEVA (15 May 2018) - The Committee against Torture this afternoon discussed follow-up to individual communications, concluding observations, and reprisals under the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Presenting the report on follow-up to article 19 of the Convention, Abdelwahab Hani, Rapporteur on follow-up to concluding observations, informed that States generally submitted their reports on time, while a few fell behind.  Progress had been made with respect to submitting national plans for the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations with technical support from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.  In 18 per cent of cases, the Committee had received very good information, in 70 per cent of cases partially satisfactory information, and in 11 per cent it had received unsatisfactory information.  Generally, the recommendations had been implemented in 40 per cent of cases, and in 18 per cent had been followed up on.  In 23 per cent of cases, States had submitted a report on the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations.  In 11 per cent of cases they had submitted a partial report, and in 66 per cent of cases no reports had been presented.

Claude Heller Roussant, Rapporteur on follow-up to individual communications, said that between 6 November and 6 December 2017, the Committee had received follow-up in eight cases.  Morocco was mentioned in three cases, and the Committee had decided to continue dialogue with the State party.  In the case of Switzerland, there were three cases, out of which two had been closed with satisfactory resolution.  One case concerned Australia and consultations would continue during the next session of the Committee.  One case from Mexico would be subject to follow-up and consultation with the State party.  The Committee had dealt with one case which concerned refoulement to a country with risk of torture.

The Rapporteur on follow-up to reprisals, Ana Racu, informed that there been no new allegations of reprisals during the reporting period.  There remained two previous cases in Morocco, and one case in Mexico.  In order to address the allegations of reprisals in Morocco, the Committee had sent a note verbale to the Permanent Mission of Morocco requesting a meeting.  The Mission had agreed to meet the Rapporteur on reprisals on 17 May 2018.  As for Mexico, the representative of the Permanent Mission of Mexico had committed to seeking updated information from the Government on relevant measures by 14 July 2018.

The Committee will next meet in public on Friday, 18 May, at 10 a.m., to adopt its annual report and programme of work for future sessions, and to close its sixty-third session.

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