ZAGREB, April 10 (Hina) - The situation in prisons and police stations in Croatia is mostly satisfactory, the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture said in a statement on Tuesday. The report said the Committee's
objections referred primarily to the prison at Lepoglava. During a visit to Croatia in September 1998, Committee members found no major irregularities in the prisons in Zagreb, Split and Sibenik but they did object to the situation at the Lepoglava prison. Inmates in the section for "increased surveillance" told them they had been frequently exposed to "verbal" and occasionally to physical abuse. The Committee therefore requests that the situation in the sector for "increased surveillance" at Lepoglava be considered with the aim of preventing the maltreatment of prisoners. Members of the Committee interviewed all inmates in the section and they told them that they had of
ZAGREB, April 10 (Hina) - The situation in prisons and police
stations in Croatia is mostly satisfactory, the Council of Europe's
Committee for the Prevention of Torture said in a statement on
Tuesday. The report said the Committee's objections referred
primarily to the prison at Lepoglava.
During a visit to Croatia in September 1998, Committee members
found no major irregularities in the prisons in Zagreb, Split and
Sibenik but they did object to the situation at the Lepoglava
prison. Inmates in the section for "increased surveillance" told
them they had been frequently exposed to "verbal" and occasionally
to physical abuse.
The Committee therefore requests that the situation in the sector
for "increased surveillance" at Lepoglava be considered with the
aim of preventing the maltreatment of prisoners. Members of the
Committee interviewed all inmates in the section and they told them
that they had often been subjected to verbal and sometimes to
physical abuse. The Committee recommends that special measures of
monitoring be introduced in the section and that some sections be
renovated. Croatia's authorities have been requested to improve
living conditions in the prisons in Zagreb, Split and Sibenik which
they believe are crowded.
The report also says that most prisoners did not have any objections
as regards treatment in police stations. If cases of poor treatment
did happen, it was during the arrest and not during the
interrogation, it reads.
Nevertheless, the Council of Europe recommends that senior police
officers give instructions regarding police conduct toward
detained persons and to set high criteria for the employment of new
police officers.
The report emphasises the importance of three rights of imprisoned
persons: the right to contact the next of kin, the right to an
attorney and the right to a doctor.
The fact that the prison stay of arrested persons prior to their
appearing before an investigating judge is very short has been
assessed as positive and a "good situation."
The Committee described the situation in the Zagreb prison
infirmary as good. Their impression of the youth correctional
centre at Turopolje outside Zagreb was generally positive as well
but they have nevertheless requested competent persons to give a
clear message to the prison staff that the poor treatment of
prisoners is not acceptable under any conditions and will be
severely punished.
The Committee for the Prevention of Torture was established in 1987
within the European Convention on the prevention of torture and
inhumane or humiliating treatment and punishment.
(hina) sb rml