On 24 April, the CPT published its annual report on the Committee’s 2024 activities. The report highlights the CPT reports issued after the Committee’s 2023 visits to Cyprus and Greece and its 2024 visit to Italy which focus on the treatment and conditions of detention of persons held in immigration detention facilities.
On 15 April, the CPT held high-level talks with the Minister of the Interior in Sofia to present the Committee’s key findings and recommendations regarding the treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty, as set out in its report on the September 2024 ad hoc visit to Bulgaria. The meeting, which was also attended by senior officials from the Border Police, Migration Directorate, and the State Agency for Refugees, focused on recommendations which are likely to require major legislative, policy and financial measures. The aim was to facilitate the authorities’ preparations of their response (due in June 2025) to the CPT report and, more generally, to improve the quality of the ongoing dialogue with the Bulgarian authorities. The CPT report on the 2024 ad hoc visit will be published soon, pursuant to the automatic publication procedure.
On 10 April, the CPT published the report on its periodic visit to Slovakia which took place from 28 November to 8 December 2023, and which also focused on the treatment of detained foreign nationals, particularly at Medveďov Immigration Detention Facility. The delegation received a few allegations of physical ill-treatment by staff at this establishment, particularly to enforce compliance. Conditions of detention at Medveďov were noted to be poor, with a lack of activities for detainees and a carceral environment. The Slovak authorities responded by outlining measures to prevent ill-treatment.
Moreover, from 1 to 4 April, a CPT delegation visited Cyprus to assess the treatment and conditions of detention of third country nationals in Nicosia Central Prisons, Pournara First Reception Centre, the Larnaca airport holding facility and several police establishments. The visit aimed to review progress on recommendations made after the Committee’s 2023 visit. The delegation also held consultations with the Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection and exchanged views with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Office in Nicosia. Preliminary findings were presented to the Cypriot authorities at the end of the visit.
Also in April, the CPT held a meeting with the migration team of the Commissioner for Human Rights to share migration-related developments and updates. Additionally, the CPT recorded a podcast to draw light on the Committee’s work monitoring immigration detention across Europe.
