Back Council of Europe Anti-Torture Committee publishes report on the Netherlands (including the Netherlands Antilles)

The authorities of the Kingdom of the Netherlands have made public the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) on the visits carried out in February 2002 to the Kingdom in Europe and to the Netherlands Antilles.

In the Kingdom in Europe, the CPT received no allegations of ill-treatment by law enforcement officials. Some recommendations were made regarding conditions of detention in police establishments (e.g., concerning access to outdoor exercise for remand prisoners) and fundamental safeguards for persons in police custody (as regards, in particular, access to a lawyer during the initial period of detention for interrogation purposes). The CPT reviewed the situation at the Extra Security Prison (EBI) in Vught; it recommended measures in order to prevent inter-prisoner violence, improve the regime and define more precisely the conditions under which placement in this establishment may be extended. Other recommendations were made as regards the treatment of persons suspected of carrying drugs in corpore, held at Bloemendaal Special Detention Facility.

During the visit to the Netherlands Antilles, the CPT reviewed the situation at Bon Futuro Prison in Curacao and visited, for the first time, Pointe Blanche Prison and the Central Police Station in Sint Maarten. The conditions of detention in that police station were unacceptable, and the authorities made a commitment to take measures immediately to remedy this situation. At Bon Futuro Prison, the material conditions had improved, but a severe shortage of staff had numerous negative consequences; in particular inter-prisoner violence and the absence of a regime. Conditions at Pointe Blanche Prison were generally more favourable, despite critically low staffing levels.

The report is available on the CPT’s website : http://cpt.coe.int

15/11/2002
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