The objective of the 2026 ad hoc visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of prisoners accommodated in the main prison establishments in North Macedonia, as well as to discuss the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations formulated by the Committee in its previous visit reports. These refer to the shortcomings identified in the reform of the prison system and the situation at Idrizovo Prison in particular, in terms of poor material conditions in the closed-regime wings, high levels of inter-prisoner violence, corruption of staff and inadequate provision of healthcare. The CPT delegation also examined the sustainability of efforts invested by the authorities in their preparations for the second phase of the Council of Europe Development Bank project. This involves the construction of new closed-regime and pre-trial detention facilities at Idrizovo, and the reforms required for the development of a professional prison service with clear reporting lines, effective oversight, and proper accountability.
To this end, the delegation visited three prison establishments; Idrizovo, Skopje and Tetovo Prisons.
At the end of the visit, the delegation provided the authorities of North Macedonia with its preliminary observations and held consultations with Jeton Shasivari, Minister of Justice. Separate meetings were also held with Aleksandar Pandov, Director for the Execution of Sanctions, and Faton Seljami, Ombudsman of the Republic of North Macedonia.
The visit was carried out by the following CPT members: Alan Mitchell, President of the CPT (Head of Delegation), Slava Novak, Helena Papa, and Răzvan Horaţju Radu. They were supported by Christian Loda of the CPT Secretariat.
