OMCT E-Bulletin - November-December 2021, 72nd Session of the Committee against Torture

Summaries of CAT State Reviews

In a hybrid session, the Committee considered the third periodic report of Bolivia focusing on the following five priority areas: 1) criminalisation of torture, fundamental safeguards and institutional mechanisms; 2) refugees and asylum seekers; 3) human rights violations during the 2019-20 crisis; 4) impunity and amnesties; 5) conditions of detention, complaints of acts of torture, including gender violence and violence against minors.

During the consideration of the third periodic report of Kyrgyzstan, Committee members focused on the following areas: definition and criminalisation of torture; conditions in prisons and pre-trial detention; gender-based violence against women and trafficking in persons; retaliation against human rights defenders and journalists; and violence against LGBTI persons.

During the consideration of the fourth periodic report of Lithuania, the Committee focused in particular on the following issues: human rights violation against refugees and migrants, detention conditions, and investigations in cases of excessive use of force by law enforcement officials.

During the consideration of Nigeria, and in the absence of an initial State report, CAT experts focused on the following areas: direct application of the Convention by domestic courts and the prohibition of torture as per Article 1 of the Convention; excessive use of force, overcrowding and pre-trial detention in prisons; counter-terrorism measures against Boko Haram; and gender-based violence and kidnappings.

During the consideration of the third periodic report of Serbia, the Committee mainly focused on: conditions of detention; fundamental legal safeguards for detainees; impunity for acts of torture and ill-treatment; the asylum system and non-refoulement; treatment of persons in social care and psychiatric institutions as well as attacks on journalists and human rights defenders.

During the examination of the eighth periodic report of Sweden, the Committee mainly focused on the following five areas: the criminalisation of torture and the statute of limitations; fundamental legal safeguards; the imposition of isolation in detention; the investigation of acts of torture; and the use of coercive and intrusive measures in psychiatric hospitals.

Other Topics in this E-Bulletin include:

• CAT elections
• Thematic briefing on Migration and Torture
• OMCT missions to Kyrgyzstan and Nigeria

Read the full E-Bulletin in English, Arabic and Russian.

Upcoming Session
73rd session of the CAT: 19 April – 13 May 2022

STATES PARTIES REPORTS
Cuba, Iceland, Iraq, Kenya, Montenegro, Uruguay

LISTS OF ISSUES PRIOR TO REPORTING
Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Germany, Greece, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, Togo, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland