Report of the Committee Against Torture
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A/58/44 United Nations Report of the Committee against Torture Twenty-ninth session (11-22 November 2002) Thirtieth session (28 April-16 May 2003) General Assembly Official Records Fifty-eighth session Supplement No. 44 (A/58/44) A/58/44 General Assembly Official Records Fifty-eighth session Supplement No. 44 (A/58/44) Report of the Committee against Torture Twenty-ninth session (11-22 November 2002) Thirtieth session (28 April-16 May 2003) United Nations ^ New York, 2003 NOTE Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. ISSN 1020-170X CONTENTS Chapter Paragraphs Page I. ORGANIZATIONAL AND OTHER MATTERS ...................... 1 - 20 7 A. States parties to the Convention ......................................... 1 - 3 7 B. Sessions of the Committee ................................................. 4 7 C. Membership of the Committee ........................................... 5 7 D. Election of officers ............................................................. 6 7 E. Agendas .............................................................................. 7 - 8 8 F. Pre-sessional working group .............................................. 9 - 10 8 G. Participation of Committee members in other meetings ................................................................ 11 9 H. Follow-up to conclusions and recommendations adopted under article 19 of the Convention ........................ 12 9 I. General comments .............................................................. 13 9 J. Activities of the Committee in connection with the Optional Protocol to the Convention .................................. 14 9 K. Informal meeting of the Committee with the States parties to the Convention ......................................... 15 - 17 13 L. Meetings of the Committee with the Special Rapporteur on the question of torture of the Commission on Human Rights and members of the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture .................... 18 - 19 13 M. Joint statement on the occasion of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture ........... 20 14 II. SUBMISSION OF REPORTS BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 19 OF THE CONVENTION ....................... 21 - 23 14 III. CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 19 OF THE CONVENTION ............................................................ 24 - 141 20 Cyprus .......................................................................................... 30 - 36 21 GE.03-43668 (E) 031003 - 3 - CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Paragraphs Page III. (cont’d) Egypt ............................................................................................ 37 - 44 22 Estonia ......................................................................................... 45 - 52 26 Spain ............................................................................................ 53 - 70 29 Venezuela ..................................................................................... 71 - 83 32 Azerbaijan .................................................................................... 84 - 92 36 Cambodia ..................................................................................... 93 - 100 40 Iceland .......................................................................................... 101 - 110 43 Slovenia ....................................................................................... 111 - 116 44 Turkey .......................................................................................... 117 - 124 46 Belgium ........................................................................................ 125 - 133 49 Republic of Moldova ................................................................... 134 - 141 53 IV. ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE UNDER ARTICLE 20 OF THE CONVENTION ............................................................ 142 - 153 56 A. General information ............................................................ 142 - 146 56 B. Summary account of the results of the proceedings concerning the inquiry on Mexico ...................................... 147 - 153 57 V. CONSIDERATION OF COMPLAINTS UNDER ARTICLE 22 OF THE CONVENTION ..................................... 154 - 177 58 A. Pre-sessional working group .............................................. 161 59 B. Interim measures of protection ........................................... 162 - 165 59 C. Progress of work ................................................................. 166 - 177 60 VI. FUTURE MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE ......................... 178 - 179 62 VII. ADOPTION OF THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ............................................................... 180 63 - 4 - CONTENTS (continued) Annexes Page I. States that have signed, ratified or acceded to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, as at 16 May 2003 ................................................... 65 II. States parties that have declared, at the time of ratification or accession, that they do not recognize the competence of the Committee provided for by article 20 of the Convention, as at 16 May 2003 ......................................................................... 70 III. States parties that have made the declarations provided for in articles 21 and 22 of the Convention, as at 16 May 2003 .............................. 71 IV. Membership of the Committee against Torture in 2003 .................................... 73 V. Country rapporteurs and alternate rapporteurs for the reports of States parties considered by the Committee at its twenty-ninth and thirtieth sessions .................................................................... 74 VI. Decisions of the Committee against Torture under article 22 of the Convention ............................................................................... 75 A. Decisions on merits Complaint No. 119/1998: V.N.I.M. v. Canada ........................................ 75 Complaint No. 161/2000: Hajrizi Dzemajl et al. v. Serbia and Montenegro ............................................. 85 Complaint No. 204/2002: H.K.H. v. Sweden ........................................... 98 Complaint No. 190/2001: K.S.Y. v. The Netherlands .............................. 107 Complaint No. 191/2001: S.S. v. The Netherlands .................................. 115 Complaint No. 192/2001: H.B.H., T.N.T., H.J.H., H.O.H., H.R.H. and H.G.H. v. Switzerland ............................. 126 Complaint No. 193/2001: P.E. v. France ................................................ 135 Complaint No. 197/2002: U.S. v. Finland ............................................... 153 Complaint No. 198/2002: A.A. v. The Netherlands ................................. 161 Complaint No. 201/2002: M.V. v. The Netherlands ................................ 170 Complaint No. 219/2002: G.K. v. Switzerland ........................................ 177 - 5 - CONTENTS (continued) Annexes Page VI. (cont’d) B. Decisions on inadmissibility Complaint No. 216/2002: H.I.A. v. Sweden ............................................. 187 VII. List of documents for general distribution issued during the reporting period .................................................................................................. 193 A. Twenty-ninth session ................................................................................ 193 B. Thirtieth session ........................................................................................ 193 - 6 - I. ORGANIZATIONAL AND OTHER MATTERS A. States parties to the Convention 1. As at 16 May 2003, the closing date of the thirtieth session of the Committee against Torture, there were 133 States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Convention was adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 39/46 of 10 December 1984 and entered into force on 26 June 1987. 2. Since the last report Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, the Holy See and Timor-Leste have become parties to the Convention. Furthermore, Equatorial Guinea declared that it did not recognize the competence of the Committee under article 20 of the Convention, and Paraguay made the declaration under articles 21 and 22. The list of States which have signed, ratified or acceded to the Convention is contained in annex I to the present report. The States parties that have declared that they do not recognize the competence of the Committee provided for by article 20 of the Convention are listed in annex II. The States parties that have made declarations provided for in articles 21 and 22 of the Convention are listed in annex III. 3. The text of the declarations, reservations or objections made by States parties with respect to the Convention, may be found in the United Nations web site (www.un.org - Site index - treaties). B. Sessions of the Committee 4. The Committee against Torture has held two sessions since the adoption of its last annual report. The twenty-ninth session (529th to 546th meetings) was held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 11 to 22 November 2002, and the thirtieth session (547th to 573rd) was held from 28 April to 16 May 2003. An account of the deliberations of the Committee at these two sessions is contained in the relevant summary records (CAT/C/SR.529-573). C. Membership of the Committee 5. The membership of the