COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE CONCLUDES FIFTY-FIFTH SESSION

The Committee against Torture today concluded its fifty-fifth session after adopting its concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Iraq, Slovakia and Switzerland on their implementation of the provisions of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations on the three country reports will be available this afternoon on the Committee’s webpage.

Claudio Grossman, the Chairperson of the Committee, said in concluding remarks that the Committee had adopted its concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Iraq, Slovakia and Switzerland. He thanked the members of the Committee and the secretariat for the work done, notwithstanding the heat and humidity. Due to the backlog of communications, one of the reasons the Committee had been given more meeting time, they would give priority to communications, especially in the November session, and expected to receive from the secretariat the same number of communications as the Human Rights Committee, at least 30.

Mr. Grossman said the Committee had adopted guidelines on follow-up to concluding observations, which was essential in assisting States in complying with their freely acquired obligations. The Committee had also adopted guidelines on the receipt and handling of allegations of reprisals against individuals cooperating with the Committee. It had started its evaluation of the simplified reporting procedure and would continue to do so at the next session. The Committee would continue to talk about whether they had consensus on a possible General Comment; the topic had not been decided yet.

During the session, the Committee held private meetings with non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions from States whose reports were being considered. The Committee held private meetings in which it considered communications and complaints from individuals claiming to be victims of violations to the provisions of the Convention by a State party. Also in private meetings, the Committee discussed capacity building and the outcome of and follow-up to the San José Chairpersons Meeting, and the online jurisprudence database with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and was briefed by the World Organization Against Torture on non-refoulement: addressing practical and legal challenges.

Comprehensive meeting coverage of all public meetings held this session, including the country reviews, can be found here.

The fifty-sixth session of the Committee against Torture will take place at the Palais Wilson in Geneva from Monday, 9 November to Friday, 9 December 2015. The reports of Austria, Azerbaijan, China, China (Hong Kong), China (Macau), Denmark, Jordan and Liechtenstein will be considered, and can be found here.


For use of the information media; not an official record

CAT15/023E