Strasbourg, 14.06.2012 – The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) published today the report on its visit to Serbia in February 2011 together with the response of the Serbian authorities.

In the course of the visit, the CPT’s delegation received several allegations of ill-treatment by law enforcement officials, including in respect of juveniles. The alleged ill-treatment consisted of slaps, punches, kicks and truncheon blows and concerned the time of apprehension or when suspects were being interrogated in police stations. The CPT has recommended that police officers be reminded that all forms of ill-treatment are unacceptable and will be the subject of severe sanctions. (more…)

Anti-torture Committee holds high-level talks in Russia

The CPT Representatives recently held a new series of high-level talks with the Russian federal authorities. In addition to the follow-up to the findings made by the CPT during its April-May 2011 visit to the North Caucasian region, the discussions related to broader issues of co-operation between the Committee and the Russian authorities as well as the publication of CPT reports.

On 21 May 2012, the CPT's representatives met, in Moscow, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, together with the Heads of the Investigation Departments of the Chechen Republic and the Republics of Dagestan and North Ossetia-Alania. In the course of the meeting, the recent decision to set up a specialised unit to investigate complaints of ill-treatment by law enforcement officials was in particular discussed; this decision was welcomed by the CPT’s representatives as an important step towards combating impunity. (more…)

- Serbia and the Council of Europe
- Russia and the Council of Europe