Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture Becomes the Largest UN Treaty Body
On 28 October 2010, the SPT membership increased from 10 to 25, and includes for the first time experts from Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the Asian and Pacific regions.
Gender balance increased sensitively, with 8 members out of the 25 being women. A wide range of expertise and professional experience is also now being represented within the SPT, as it includes medical doctors, forensic doctors, psychologists, professionals with national detention monitoring experience, lawyers, judges and magistrates, experts in administration of justice and management of detention centres and former police officers.
APT Summary of key information on the enlarged SPT
States Parties to the OPCAT elected 20 members from a list of 31 candidates. From the 20 members, 5 of them were re-elected and 7 were selected by lot for a two-year mandate.
The 20 members will take up their new mandate in February 2011, joining the existing five members.
The enlarged SPT comprises:
| Name of Member | Country of Nationality | Term Expires |
| Ms Mari Amos | Estonia | 2014 |
| Mr Mario Luis Coriolano * | Argentina | 2012 |
| Mr Arman Danielyan | Armenia | 2014 |
| Ms Marija Definis-Gojanovic ** | Croatia | 2012 |
| Mr Malcolm Evans * | UK | 2012 |
| Ms Lowell Patria Goddard | New Zealand | 2012 |
| Mr Zdenek Hajek * | Czech Republic | 2012 |
| Ms Suzanne Jabbour | Lebanon | 2012 |
| Mr Goran Klemencic | Slovenia | 2012 |
| Mr Paul Lam Shang Leen | Mauritius | 2012 |
| Mr Zbigniew Lasocik * | Poland | 2012 |
| Mr Petros Michaelides | Cyprus | 2014 |
| Ms Aisha Shujune Muhammad | Maldives | 2014 |
| Mr Olivier Obrecht | France | 2014 |
| Mr Hans Draminsky Petersen ** | Denmark | 2014 |
| Ms Maria Margarida Pressburger | Brazil | 2012 |
| Mr Christian Pross | Germany | 2012 |
| Mr Victor Rodriguez Rescia * | Costa Rica | 2012 |
| Ms Judith Salgado | Ecuador | 2014 |
| Mr Emilio Ginés Santidrián ** | Spain | 2014 |
| Mr Miguel Sarre Iguiníz ** | Mexico | 2014 |
| Mr Wilder Tayler Souto ** | Uruguay | 2014 |
| Ms Aneta Stancevska | Macedonia | 2014 |
| Mr Felipe Villavicencio Terreros | Peru | 2014 |
| Mr Fortuné Gaétan Zongo | Burkina Faso | 2014 |
| * Existing Member, not for re-election | ||
| ** Existing Member, re-elected |