Strasbourg, 13.12.2012 – Europe’s main anti-torture watchdog has expressed serious concerns about overcrowding in Belgian prisons and a failure to properly manage recurring strikes by prison staff.

IIn a report published today, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) called on the Belgian authorities to take urgent and decisive measures to tackle these long-standing issues. The committee also called for national talks to help draw up a new prisons policy in Belgium.

Today’s report follows an ad-hoc visit to Belgium by the CPT in April 2012 to investigate reports of deteriorating prison conditions. It has been published together with the response from the Belgian authorities. (more...)

Belgium and the Council of Europe