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General News on Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Source: Graphic.com.gh
2019-06-11
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The UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture has encouraged Ghana to establish a national anti-torture prevention mechanism to ensure that persons deprived of their liberty are not at risk of ill-treatment.
"Ghana ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture in 2016 and should have established its NPM by the end of 2017. It has not yet done so and we hope that our visit encourage it to do so through an open, transparent and inclusive strategy. process, "said Sir Malcolm Evans, head of the four-member delegation, in a statement.
"It is clear that much remains to be done to ensure that persons deprived of their liberty are not at risk of ill-treatment and that the conditions in which they are placed are appropriate. The problem of overcrowding is well known and widely recognized: our visit has highlighted some of the practical consequences of this situation for those in charge, "said the head of the delegation.
"We hope that prompt and effective action will now be taken and we look forward to continuing the constructive discussions that have taken place so far," he added.
The delegation visited police stations, prisons, juvenile penitentiary, psychiatric hospitals and the medical services provided by the prayer camps, conducting confidential interviews with detainees and staff members.
He also met with members of Parliament, government officials, the Supreme Court, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, professional badociations and representatives of civil society.
The Subcommittee composed of Sir Malcolm Evans, Head of Delegation (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), Marija Definis-Gojanovic (Croatia), Nika Kvaratskelia (Georgia) and Margret Osterfeld (Germany) went to the country between May 26 and June. 2019.
The objectives of the visit were to advise on the establishment of a national prevention mechanism against torture and, by visiting places of detention, to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty and the guarantees put in place for their protection against torture and torture. -treatment.
The Subcommittee will submit to the Government of Ghana a report containing observations and recommendations arising from the visit.
"This report will remain confidential unless the Government of Ghana decides to make it public and the subcommittee encourages it to do so," the statement said.
Context
The Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture monitors the accession of States parties to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, which has been ratified to date by 89 countries.
The Subcommittee is composed of 25 members, independent human rights experts from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States Parties.
The subcommittee is mandated to visit States Parties, where they may visit any place where persons may be deprived of their liberty.
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