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The Europe and Central Asia Programme
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The Europe & Central Asia Programme seeks to eradicate torture and other forms of ill-treatment by ensuring that international human rights law is observed in practice at the national level. While in certain countries in the region there is a high degree of human rights protection, in others acts of abuse by public officials remain widespread, in some cases systematic. Many states could therefore still do a great deal more to put an end to the practices of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. To this end various initiatives are currently being undertaken in a range of countries in the region.
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Core Activities
- Promotion of the ratification and effective implementation of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture
- Promotion of the effective implementation of the recommendations of international human rights mechanisms
- Improved administration of justice
- Ensuring independent monitoring of closed institutions through the training of local actors
- Advocacy for the prevention of torture in the European inter-governmental bodies
- Promoting the work of regional detention monitoring mechanisms
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Upcoming Events
- First Thematic Workshop: 'The role of NPMs in preventing ill-treatment in psychiatric institutions'
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Recent Activities
- The Establishment of Kazakhstan's National Preventive Mechanism
- First Meeting of European National Preventive Mechanisms
- Public Hearing on Kyrgyzstan's National Preventive Mechanism
- New Partnerships for the Prevention of Torture in Europe
- Instituting a National Preventive Mechanism in Turkey under the OPCAT
- Development of a National Preventive Mechanism in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Working to Prevent Torture in Georgia
- Scottish Custody Visiting Conference
- OPCAT implementation in Liechtenstein: challenges and opportunities
- Tajikistan: Independent Detention Monitoring in Closed Institutions
- Official launch of the UK National Preventive Mechanism
- Implementing OPCAT: Experiences from South East Europe
- Establishing an Effective National Preventive Mechanism in the Kyrgyz Republic
- Prevention of Torture in Serbia
- Armenian Conference on Human Rights
- Georgia: A Practical Training for Judges and Prosecutors
- The Prevention of Torture in Kazakhstan: From Discussion to Practical Implementation
- Monitoring Places of Detention in Mongolia
- OPCAT in the OSCE Region: What it means and how to make it work?
- Kazakhstan's National Preventive Mechanism: One Year to Implementation
- Combating Torture: A Manual for Judges and Prosecutors
- Eastern European Conference on Monitoring Places of Detention
- The Implementation of the OPCAT in Moldova
- Implementing the Optional Protocol in Kyrgyzstan
- Tajikistan and the UN Committee against Torture
- Preventing Torture in the South Caucasus
- Supporting the NPM Designation Process in Spain
- Turkey: Monitoring Places of Detention
- APT and the Council of Europe
- NPM Discussions Continue in Ireland
- Independent Detention Monitoring in Mongolia
- Georgia's proposed National Preventive Mechanism
- Macedonia and the implementation of the OPCAT
- A New National Preventive Mechanism for Germany
- Independent Custody Visiting in Scotland
- Deprivation of Liberty and Human Rights - The prevention of torture in Europe
- Turkey: OPCAT Panel Discussion
- Judges and Prosecutors: The Prevention and Investigation of Torture
- Georgia's OPCAT Implementation
- Implementation of the OPCAT in the United Kingdom: The National Preventive Mechanism
- Armenia: Best Practices of OPCAT Implementation
- Kyrgyzstan: Independent Detention Monitoring of Closed Institutions
- Romania - Protecting human rights in institutions for people with mental disabilities
- A National Preventive Mechanism for Austria
- Ireland and the OPCAT
- Albania's obligations under the Optional Protocol
- OSCE - Promotion and Protection of Human Rights: Responsibilities and Effective Remedies
- Implementing the OPCAT in the United Kingdom
- Georgia and the implementation of the Optional Protocol
- Torture Prevention in Turkey
- Promoting the OPCAT in Central Asia
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European Court News
European Court of Human Rights Click to access the ECHR case law database On 9 March 2010 the European Court ruled in the case of R.C. v. Sweden that if the complainant, an Iranian asylum-seeker, were deported from Sweden to Iran this would be contrary to Article 3 of the ECHR. R.C had fled to Sweden from Iran in 2003, but had his claim for asylum rejected by the Swedish authorities. The Court stated that, if deported, he would be at real risk of being arrested, ill-treated and tortured. In the case of Al-Saadoon and Mufdhi v. the United Kingdom the Court held, among other things, on 2 March 2010 that there had been a violation of Article 3 (the prohibition on inhuman or degrading treatment). The applicants, who were two Iraqis who had been held in British-run detention facilities since 2003, were surrendered to the Iraqi authorities at the end of December 2008. The Court ruled that there were substantial grounds for believing there to be a real risk of the applicants’ being condemned to the death penalty and executed in violation of Article 3. Moreover, the UK had not sought assurances from the Iraqi authorities that the death penalty would not be applied. On 19 January 2010 the European Court found in the case of Z.N.S. v. Turkey that the latter would be in violation of the ECHR if the complainant were deported to Iran. The Court concluded that there were substantial grounds for accepting that, on account of her Christian religion, the applicant would risk being subjected to inhuman treatment if removed to her country of origin. Z.N.S. is an Iranian national, who entered Turkey illegally in February 2005, became interested in Christianity and converted to Protestantism. The Court also found other violation of the Convention.
Featured Publication
Russian NPM Guide - More Info
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Council of Europe
In 2009, as part of its programme of 'periodic' visits, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) intends to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the following ten countries: Austria, Belgium, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine. Link (Council of Europe)
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