Report to the Spanish Government on the Visit to Spain Carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and I
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CPT/Inf (96) 9 [Part 2] Report to the Spanish Government on the visit to Spain carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 10 to 22 April 1994 The Spanish Government has agreed the publication of this report and of its response. The latter is set out in document CPT/Inf (96) 10. Strasbourg, 5 March 1996 - 2 - CONTENTS Page Copy of the letter transmitting the CPT's report...................................................................................5 I. INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................5 A. Preliminary remarks.................................................................................................................6 B. Composition of the delegation and establishments visited ....................................................6 C. Consultations held by the delegation.......................................................................................8 D. Co-operation between the CPT and the Spanish authorities................................................9 E. Recourse to Article 8 (5) of the Convention..........................................................................10 II. FACTS FOUND DURING THE VISIT AND ACTION PROPOSED ..............................10 A. Law enforcement agencies......................................................................................................11 1. Torture and other forms of ill-treatment..........................................................................11 2. Material conditions of detention......................................................................................15 a. introduction ............................................................................................................15 b. Civil Guard establishments ....................................................................................15 c. National Police establishments ..............................................................................18 d. Basque Autonomous Police (Ertzaintza) establishments.......................................20 e. other places of detention ........................................................................................21 f. supplementary remarks ..........................................................................................22 3. Safeguards against the ill-treatment of detained persons ................................................22 a. notification of custody............................................................................................23 b. access to a lawyer...................................................................................................25 c. access to a doctor ...................................................................................................25 d. conduct of interrogations..........................................................................................26 e. supervision of the situation of detained persons by the competent judicial authority or public prosecutor.......................................27 f. custody records.......................................................................................................28 g. Organic Law No. 1/1992 on the protection of people's security............................29 - 3 - B. Places of detention for foreigners ..........................................................................................30 1. Detention Centre for foreigners at Moratalaz..................................................................30 2. Detention Centre for foreigners at Barcelona..................................................................30 3. Special Transit Area, Barajas Airport, Madrid................................................................32 4. Supplementary remarks ...................................................................................................33 C. Prisons ......................................................................................................................................33 1. Introduction .....................................................................................................................34 2. Torture and other forms of ill-treatment..........................................................................35 3. Treatment of prisoners considered as "extremely dangerous" or as "unadapted to an ordinary prison regime" ..............................................................37 4. Conditions of detention in the prisons visited .................................................................39 a. material conditions and activities...........................................................................39 b. contact with the outside world ...............................................................................45 c. execution of sentences in the prisoners' original social environment ....................46 5. Health-care services.........................................................................................................46 a. introduction ............................................................................................................47 b. health-care services in the establishments visited..................................................47 i. staff and facilities..........................................................................................47 ii. medical screening on reception ....................................................................49 iii. medical care provided to prisoners ..............................................................50 iv. issues relating to HIV ...................................................................................52 v. access to a fully-equipped hospital service ..................................................53 c. the General Penitentiary Hospital ..........................................................................54 d. further remarks .......................................................................................................56 6. Other issues......................................................................................................................57 a. staff resources and training ....................................................................................57 b. the supervisory judge .............................................................................................58 - 4 - D. Detention Centres for Minors ................................................................................................59 1. Introduction .....................................................................................................................59 2. Material conditions and activities....................................................................................59 3. Discipline.........................................................................................................................61 4. Medical issues..................................................................................................................61 E. Psychiatric institutions ...........................................................................................................62 III. RECAPITULATION AND CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................64 A. Law enforcement agencies......................................................................................................64 B. Places of detention for foreigners ..........................................................................................65 C. Prisons ......................................................................................................................................66 D. Detention Centres for Minors ................................................................................................68 E. Psychiatric Institutions ...........................................................................................................68 F. Action on the CPT's recommendations, comments and requests for information ...........69 APPENDIX I: SUMMARY OF THE CPT'S RECOMMENDATIONS, COMMENTS AND REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION .......................................................70 APPENDIX II: LIST OF THE NATIONAL AUTHORITIES AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS WITH WHICH THE DELEGATION HELD CONSULTATIONS.............................................83 - 5 - Copy of the letter transmitting the CPT's report Strasbourg, 15 December 1994 Dear Mr Borrego, In pursuance of Article 10, paragraph 1, of the European Convention for the prevention of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, I have the honour to enclose herewith the report to the Government of Spain drawn up by the European Committee for the prevention of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (CPT) after its visit to Spain from 10 to 22 April 1994. The report was adopted by the CPT at its twenty-third meeting, held from 28 November to 2 December 1994. I would draw your attention in particular to paragraphs 33, 43 and 175 of the report, in which the CPT requests that certain information be provided within three months, as well as to paragraph 229, in which the Committee requests the Spanish authorities to provide within twelve months a report on action taken upon its report as a whole. The CPT would ask, in the event of the latter report being forwarded in Spanish, that it