The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published recently two reports addressing the issue of detention of irregular migrants. The main focus of the ad hoc visits to Greece (in April and July 2016) was immigration detention. In the report, the CPT raised concerns over the situation in the “hotspots” on the Aegean islands and was highly critical of the continued immigration detention of unaccompanied children. The report also criticises the situation of adult immigration detainees in Athens and Thessaloniki, and calls for determined action to tackle the problem of police ill-treatment. One of the primary purposes of these visits was to examine the situation in the “Reception and Identification Centres” (so-called “hotspots”) on the islands of Chios, Lesvos and Samos. The delegation also visited a number of police stations and holding facilities for irregular migrants in Athens, Thessaloniki and on the Aegean islands.

In the framework of its periodic visit to Slovenia (in March/April 2017), the CPT had visited Postojna Detention Centre for Foreigners, the only detention facility for foreign nationals held under aliens legislation in Slovenia. Particular attention was paid to the treatment of and safeguards offered to persons deprived of their liberty by the police and the situation of persons held in prisons.

Both CPT reports have been published together with the responses of the national authorities.