Επιστροφή Council of Europe anti-torture Committee carries out a 15-day visit to Spain

A delegation of the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) carried out its 8th periodic visit to Spain from 14 to 28 September 2020.
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee carries out a 15-day visit to Spain

In the course of the visit, the CPT’s delegation examined the treatment and conditions of detention of men and women held in several prisons and in the two penitentiary psychiatric hospitals of Alicante and Seville, as well as in a detention centre for juveniles in Algeciras. Further, the treatment and safeguards offered to persons deprived of their liberty by the police were also examined.

The delegation held consultations with Mr Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Minister of the Interior, Mr Ángel Luis Ortíz Gonzáles, Secretary General for Penitentiary Institutions and Ms Elena Garzón Otamendi, Director General for International Relations and Migration at the Ministry of the Interior. It also held exchanges with senior officials from the Ministry of the Interior representing the Prison Administration, Civil Guard and National Police.

Further, prior to the visit, consultations were held with representatives of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) and the “Coordinadora para la Prevención de la Tortura”.

At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary findings to the Spanish authorities. A full report will be transmitted to them in due course.

The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:

  • Therese Rytter, 2nd Vice-President of the CPT, Head of Delegation
  • Mark Kelly, 1st Vice-President of the CPT
  • Vincent Delbos
  • Vanessa Durich
  • Aleksandar Tomčuk.

They were supported by Hugh Chetwynd (Head of Division) and Christian Loda of the Secretariat of the CPT as well as by the following experts:

  • Celso Manata, Deputy General Public Prosecutor and former Director General for Prisons and Probation, Portugal
  • Birgit Völlm, Professor in forensic psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health, University of Rostock, Germany
  • Olivera Vulić, psychiatrist and prison health consultant, Montenegro.

The delegation visited the following places of deprivation of liberty:

National Police
  • Police Station, Algeciras
  • Police Station, Castellón de la Plana
  • Police Station, Madrid (Centre)
  • Police Station, Madrid (Hortaleza)
  • Police Station, Madrid (Moratalaz)
  • Police Station for minors (G.R.U.M.E.), Madrid
  • Police Station, Seville (Blas Infante)
  • Police Station, Valencia (Zapadores)
Local Police
  • Local Police Station of Utrera
Prisons
  • Ávila Women’s Prison (Brieva)
  • Castellón II Prison
  • Madrid V Prison (Soto del Real) *
  • Madrid VII Prison (Estremera)
  • Seville I Prison*
  • Seville II Prison
  • Valencia Prison (Picassent)*
  • Alicante Penitentiary Psychiatric Hospital
  • Seville Penitentiary Psychiatric Hospital

*Targeted visits to interview newly-arrived prisoners on remand.

Juvenile establishments
  • Juvenile Detention Centre, “La Marchenilla”, Algeciras (Anadalusia)
29/09/2020
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