At its Human Rights meeting on 15-17 September, the Committee of Ministers welcomed the progress achieved by the Romanian authorities in improving the conditions of detention and medical care for prisoners suffering from serious or terminal illnesses in response to the European Court’s findings in the case Dorneanu, which led to the finding of a violation of the prohibition of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (Article 3 of the Convention).
The Committee noted with satisfaction the broad range of measures adopted, including strengthened cooperation with the Council of Europe to enhance healthcare and mental health services in prisons. The authorities also took steps to reinforce the capacity of both medical and non-medical prison staff and to promote multidisciplinary approaches in the care of vulnerable detainees.
While acknowledging these positive developments, the Committee encouraged the authorities to maintain their close monitoring of the situation and to consider further corrective measures where needed.
The outstanding questions concerning the inhuman treatment of detainees with serious or terminal illnesses will continue to be examined under the standard supervision procedure.
