Montenegro achieves progress in treating prisoners, Council of Europe anti-torture committee concludes

Podgorica, Montenegro (20 February 2013) -- Since the CPT's' last visit and its 2008 report, Montenegro has made improvements when it comes to the conditions in detention centres and treatment of persons deprived of liberty, Haritini Dipla, an Assistant of First Vice-President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), said at the meeting with  Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Duško Marković earlier today.

She thanked the Montenegrin institutions for their openness and awareness that the both sides are working towards the same objectives, and presented the committee's first impressions and analysis which will be incorporated into the final July's report.

The analysis includes the institutions in which detained persons reside, which are under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. It underlines that these institutions have made progress, but that there is room for improving the implementation of this body's recommendations.

DPM Marković informed the delegation about the efforts that Montenegro has been investing in meeting national and foreign policy priorities in this area, especially in the reform of the system of execution of criminal sanctions and in human rights' protection. He stressed that the Sector for Execution of Criminal Sanctions, within the Justice Ministry, needs to be further advanced.

DPM Marković also presented Montenegro's activities in implementing the recommendations of the Committee related to the conditions in which prisoners reside, reconstruction of individual pavilions, improvement of record keeping and employees monitoring.

By presenting the preliminary results of the delegation's visit, the Montenegrin authorities has the opportunity to react on certain recommendations within three months, in order to make a contribution to the Committee's final report.