News
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its 2025 visit to Liechtenstein
During its visit, the CPT examined the treatment of persons held at Vaduz State Prison and of those detained by the police. It also spoke to persons sentenced by Liechtenstein courts who were held in establishments in Austria and Switzerland and assessed the legal safeguards surrounding the...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) carries out a visit to the United Kingdom
The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons held in the men’s prison estate in England and Wales, and of patients held in forensic psychiatric establishments in England. This visit also assessed the implementation of recommendations made by...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits residential care homes in Portugal
The objective of the visit was to assess the treatment and living conditions of residents placed in social care homes. To this end, the delegation visited three establishments accommodating children and/or adults with disabilities in Cascais, Fátima and Lisbon. In the course of the visit, the...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its November-December 2024 visit to Serbia
Juvenile Educational-Correctional Facility, Kruševac Some improvements were noted since the CPT’s visit in 2023, including better material conditions and reduced recorded incidents of use of force. However, the institution retained an excessively punitive culture, outweighing its educational...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee calls for improving prison conditions and further action to prevent police ill-treatment
In its annual report for 2025, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), while acknowledging progress in certain areas in recent years, highlights worrying signs on the treatment and living conditions of individuals in detention in Europe, including the re-emergence...
The Council of Europe anti-torture Committee announces periodic visits to eight countries in 2027
The Committee intends to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the following countries: Albania Andorra Croatia Iceland Latvia Slovakia Switzerland Türkiye Persons and organisations willing to communicate relevant information concerning the situation of persons deprived of...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes the report on its 2025 visit to Ukraine
The aim of the visit, the CPT’s second to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale military aggression by the Russian Federation in February 2022, was to examine the treatment and living conditions of persons involuntarily admitted to and treated in psychiatric hospitals, and of persons...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee holds high-level talks in Azerbaijan
The talks, held on 2 April 2026, focused on the state of co-operation between the CPT and the Azerbaijani authorities, with particular attention to the implementation of the CPT’s long-standing recommendations concerning law enforcement agencies, as well as prisons and psychiatric establishments....
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) carries out a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina
The objective of the visit was to assess the situation of residents in social care homes, and foreign nationals deprived of their liberty under migration legislation, in light of the specific recommendations made by the Committee after its previous visit in 2024. To this end, the delegation...
The CPT adopts visit reports on Azerbaijan, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and the United Kingdom and welcomed six new members
During the meeting, the CPT examined and adopted the reports on its periodic visit to Azerbaijan (September-October 2025) and its ad hoc visits to France (October 2025), Italy (September 2025), the Netherlands (October 2025), and the United Kingdom (December 2025). These reports will now be...
Council of Europe Anti-Torture Committee (CPT) publishes preliminary observations on its recent visit to Montenegro
The preliminary observations are particularly critical of the situation of persons on remand, highlighting that they are subjected to poor treatment and appalling conditions of detention. They are often confined to their cells for 23 hours per day and, in some instances, are offered only 2.5 m2...
The Council of Europe's Anti-Torture Committee (CPT) holds talks in France on prison overcrowding and the detention of children
The discussions focused on the current situation in French prisons and the measures taken by the French authorities, particularly to overcome prison overcrowding. Given the negative impact of overcrowding on all aspects of life in detention, the President of the CPT stressed the importance of...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) again calls on Greece to improve its prisons
The report examines the treatment and detention conditions of persons held in seven prisons for men and two prisons for women, as well as several police facilities. The findings of the 2025 visit confirm once again that the structural issues of overcrowding and severe staff shortages, compounded...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits Kosovo*
It was the CPT’s fifth visit on the basis of an agreement signed in 2004 between the Council of Europe and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). In the course of the visit, the delegation examined the treatment, conditions of detention and safeguards afforded to...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its 2024/2025 visit to Georgia
During its visit, the CPT assessed the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons in police custody, including those recently detained in connection with the public demonstrations which had been ongoing in Tbilisi since 29 November 2024. The delegation also examined the conditions in several...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits Bulgaria
The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of people in prisons and psychiatric establishments, as well as the situation of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty pursuant to immigration legislation. The visit was also an opportunity to review...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) carries out a visit to Albania
In the course of the visit, the delegation met with Elona Hoxha, Deputy Minister of Justice, and Eugena Tomini, Deputy Minister for Health, as well as senior staff from both ministries. Consultations were also held with Endrit Shabani, People’s Advocate, as well as with Silvio Gonzato, European...
The Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes critical report on its 2024 periodic visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina
The primary objective of the visit, which took place from 2 to 13 September 2024, was to examine the treatment of persons apprehended and detained by various police agencies at the State, Entity and Cantonal levels, as well as that of sentenced and remand prisoners held in a number of prison...
Anti-torture committee once again deplores prison overcrowding and worsening detention conditions in France
During this visit, the CPT visited 14 police and gendarmerie detention facilities, four prisons (Fleury-Mérogis, Fresnes, Marseille-Baumettes and Villefranche-sur-Saône) and the Valentine-Marseille detention centre for children. Most persons recently apprehended by the law enforcement authorities...
The Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes a new comprehensive standard on healthcare in prison
Drawing on 35 years of field visits and interviews with detained persons, healthcare professionals, prison staff, and national authorities across Europe, the CPT recalls the crucial role of healthcare services in upholding dignity in detention. The CPT highlights 10 essential principles that an...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its 2025 visit to Hungary
During its May 2023 visit to Hungary, the CPT received numerous credible allegations of physical ill-treatment of prisoners by staff at Tiszalök National Prison. In 2025, the Committee decided to carry out a follow-up visit to this establishment to re-examine the treatment and conditions of...
Council of Europe anti-torture committee (CPT) publishes report on Cyprus, highlighting serious concerns about Nicosia Central Prisons
The CPT found that some positive steps had been taken to implement recommendations issued by the Committee following previous visits in 2017 and 2023. These included a reduction in allegations of physical ill-treatment by prison staff in Nicosia Central Prisons (NCP) and improvements in the...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) carries out a visit to the United Kingdom
The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of women held in prison in England and Wales. To this end, the delegation visited HMP Eastwood Park and HMP Styal. In the course of the visit, the delegation met with James Timpson, Minister of State for...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its 2025 ad hoc visit to the Republic of Moldova
The main objective of the visit was to re-examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons held in prison in Moldova. To this end, the CPT returned to visit Prison no. 6 in Soroca and Prison no. 15 in Cricova, and visited for the first time Prison no. 2 in Lipcani. The CPT notes the...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits Germany
The objective of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons deprived of their liberty by the police and in prisons, with a specific focus on persons held in preventive detention (Sicherungsverwahrung) and women, as well as security measures applied to detained...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits Montenegro
The main objective of the visit was to examined the treatment and conditions of detention of persons deprived of their liberty in various places of detention. To this end, it visited several prisons, juvenile detention and educational-correctional establishments, psychiatric facilities and social...
The CPT and the European Court of Human Rights hold a seminar on prisoner’s rights and the situation of prisons in Europe
The participants discussed somatic and mental health in prison, solitary confinement, measurable standard for assessing material conditions of detention and respect for private life. This dialogue is crucial, as the CPT and the ECHR play complementary roles in identifying shortcomings and shaping...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) holds high-level talks in Ireland on longstanding prison and health issues
The discussions focused on the current situation in Irish prisons and the action being taken by the Irish authorities to implement the recommendations from the CPT’s most recent visit in May 2024. Many of these recommendations date back many years and the CPT wished to seek reassurance from the...
The CPT adopts eight visit reports and approves its updated and consolidated standards on healthcare in prison
During the meeting, the CPT examined and adopted the reports on visits to Türkiye (March 2025), Liechtenstein (April 2025), Spain (April-May 2025), Romania (April-May 2025), Belgium (May 2025), Ukraine (May-June 2025), Republic of Moldova (June 2025), and the United Kingdom (Scotland) (June...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on its 2025 visit on social care to Austria
The purpose of this visit was to examine the treatment of persons accommodated in residential care homes. To this end, the delegation visited four privately run institutions, two in the state of Lower Austria – Beer Home in Neulengbach, SeneCura Home in Purkersdorf, and two in the state of Styria...
Russia withdraws from the Council of Europe’s Anti-Torture Convention
Russia joined the ECPT in 1998. Between 1998 and 2021, the European Anti-Torture Committee (CPT) carried out 30 visits to Russia. However, the Russian authorities have only agreed to the publication of four CPT visit reports and the responses to them. The CPT also issued five public statements on...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits immigration detention facilities in France
In the course of the visit, the delegation held consultations with senior officials of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Health. It also met with Dominique Simonnot, Contrôleure générale des lieux de privation de liberté (National Preventive Mechanism) as well as representatives of...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on ad hoc visit to Portugal
In its report, the CPT noted the decreased prevalence of allegations of ill-treatment by law enforcement officials as compared with previous visits. Nevertheless, a number of allegations of physical ill-treatment, including excessive use of force upon apprehension, were received. The alleged...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) visits the Netherlands
In the course of the visit, the delegation assessed the treatment and conditions in facilities dedicated to the detention of foreign nationals, under either penal or administrative legislation. During the visit, the delegation held consultations with David van Weel, Minister of Foreign Affairs...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on its 2024 ad hoc visit to Romania
The purpose of the visit was to assess the treatment and living conditions of forensic psychiatric patients held in the four Romanian psychiatric and safety measures hospitals. For this reason, the CPT conducted follow-up visits to Săpoca, last visited in 2014, and Pădureni-Grajduri Hospital,...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) carries out a visit to Azerbaijan
The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons in the custody of law enforcement agencies, and persons accommodated in prison establishments. The delegation also examined the treatment, conditions and legal safeguards offered to persons...
CPT President visits Frontex Headquarters
The CPT delegation was provided with a briefing on the current operations of Frontex and the challenges facing the organization. Particular reference was made to the exploitation of vulnerable persons and children by smuggling gangs and the efforts to identify and support persons at risk. The CPT...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) carries out a visit to Italy
The purpose of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons held in a number of prisons and to assess the ways in which the Italian authorities are tackling the serious challenges facing the prison system, notably prison overcrowding, staff numbers and training,...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes the response of the Czech authorities to the report on the 2024 periodic visit to Czechia
During the visit, the CPT focused on the treatment of persons held in police custody, as well as in several prisons and two security detention facilities. It also examined the situation of juveniles placed in Olešnice Educational Institution. The CPT also continued its dialogue with the Czech...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes the response of the Danish authorities to the report on the 2025 ad hoc visit to Greenland (Denmark)
The purpose of the visit was to examine the conditions of detention, regime and treatment of persons accommodated in the closed unit (Unit A) of the new prison in Nuuk (Ny Anstalt). The response of the Danish authorities addresses the recommendations, comments and requests for information...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its ad hoc visit to Bulgaria
The objective of the visit was to assess the implementation of the CPT’s long-standing recommendations concerning the treatment and conditions of detention of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty pursuant to aliens legislation. To this end, the CPT’s delegation carried out follow-up visits...
The CoE anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes its report on prisons, police establishments, and a juvenile education centre in Catalonia (Spain)
The primary objective of the ad hoc visit to Spain was to examine the treatment of persons detained in police stations and prison establishments, with a focus on prisoners accommodated in closed-regime departments, the so-called DERTs (Departements Especials de Règim Tancat), and on persons...
Council of Europe anti-torture committee (CPT) publishes report on Ireland, highlighting serious concerns about prisons
The CPT noted that certain reforms to improve the situation in Irish prisons had been implemented since the Committee’s previous visit in 2019. For example, infrastructure has improved, particularly in the women’s estate, and the use of segregation for security reasons has decreased...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes report on its 2023 periodic visit to Malta
In the prison system, Corradino Correctional Facility (CCF) and the Centre of Residential Restorative Services (CORRs) have seen a shift towards better psychological support and reintegration planning. Most prisoners reported correct treatment by staff and a generally calm environment. However,...
The CPT adopted visit reports on Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Georgia, Hungary, Türkiye and held exchanges on racism and intolerance with ECRI
The CPT adopted the reports on visits to Georgia (December 2024 and January 2025), Greece (January 2025), Austria (March 2025), Hungary (March-April 2025), Cyprus (April 2025) and Türkiye (April 2025). The reports will be communicated to the national authorities and published as soon as possible....
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes the response of the Danish authorities to the report on the 2024 visit
During the visit, the CPT delegation examined the treatment and conditions of detention of prisoners, foreign nationals detained pursuant to aliens’ legislation, and psychiatric patients. It also looked into the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons deprived of their liberty by the police....
Council of Europe Anti-Torture Committee (CPT) returns to Greece for high-level talks on prison reform
The meeting, hosted in the office of the Prime Minister (Megaro Maximou), focussed on the action required to tackle the chronic crisis within prisons and to reform the prison system. The discussions followed up on the findings of the Committee’s visits in 2021 and January 2025 and the previous...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee holds high-level talks in Cyprus
The CPT president returned to Cyprus following on from the Committee’s visits in May 2023 and April 2025 to discuss various long-standing challenges facing the Nicosia Central Prison, the only prison in the Republic of Cyprus. Several persistent concerns regarding police custody were also...
The Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes a report on its visit to establishments for children in the Netherlands
The objective of this ad hoc visit to the Netherlands was to examine the measures taken by the Dutch authorities to counter violence amounting to a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in JeugdzorgPlus institutions. To this end, the CPT delegation visited three...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes the response of the Norwegian authorities to the report on the 2024 visit
To recall, the CPT report, inter alia emphasised that no allegations were received of physical ill-treatment of prisoners by staff in the prisons visited, and that the Norwegian prison system continued to benefit from a well-trained and motivated staff. However, the CPT noted that the decreasing...
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