Report to the Croatian Government on the Visit to Croatia Carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture A
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CPT/Inf (2018) 44 Report to the Croatian Government on the visit to Croatia carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 14 to 22 March 2017 The Croatian Government has requested the publication of this report and of its response. The Government’s response is set out in document CPT/Inf (2018) 45. Strasbourg, 2 October 2018 - 2 - CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ 4 I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 9 A. The visit, the report and follow-up.......................................................................................... 9 B. Consultations held by the delegation and co-operation encountered .................................. 9 C. National preventive mechanism ............................................................................................ 11 II. FACTS FOUND DURING THE VISIT AND ACTION PROPOSED .............................. 12 A. Law enforcement agencies ..................................................................................................... 12 1. Preliminary remarks ........................................................................................................ 12 2. Ill-treatment ..................................................................................................................... 12 3. Safeguards against ill-treatment ...................................................................................... 15 a. introduction ............................................................................................................ 15 b. notification of custody ........................................................................................... 15 c. access to a lawyer .................................................................................................. 16 d. access to a doctor ................................................................................................... 17 e. information on rights ............................................................................................. 17 4. Conditions of detention ................................................................................................... 18 B. Prison establishments ............................................................................................................. 20 1. Preliminary remarks ........................................................................................................ 20 2. Ill-treatment ..................................................................................................................... 21 3. Conditions of detention ................................................................................................... 25 a. material conditions................................................................................................. 25 b. regime .................................................................................................................... 28 4. Health-care services ........................................................................................................ 31 a. staffing levels and access to a doctor ..................................................................... 32 b. screening and reporting of injuries and confidentiality ......................................... 33 c. transmissible diseases ............................................................................................ 36 d. psychiatric care ...................................................................................................... 36 e. drug-related issues ................................................................................................. 36 - 3 - 5. Other issues ..................................................................................................................... 38 a. prison staff ............................................................................................................. 38 b. security measures and means of restraint .............................................................. 39 c. discipline ................................................................................................................ 42 d. contact with the outside world ............................................................................... 42 e. complaints and inspection procedures ................................................................... 44 C. Juvenile Correctional Facility, Turopolje ............................................................................ 46 1. Preliminary remarks ........................................................................................................ 46 2. Ill-treatment ..................................................................................................................... 47 3. Living conditions and staffing ........................................................................................ 49 4. Health care ...................................................................................................................... 50 5. Other issues ..................................................................................................................... 52 D. Hospital for Persons deprived of their Liberty .................................................................... 56 E. Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Health .......................................... 65 1. Preliminary remarks ........................................................................................................ 65 2. Ill-treatment ..................................................................................................................... 66 3. Patients’ living conditions ............................................................................................... 66 4. Treatment ........................................................................................................................ 68 5. Staff ................................................................................................................................. 71 6. Seclusion and means of restraint ..................................................................................... 72 7. Safeguards ....................................................................................................................... 76 APPENDIX I: List of the establishments visited by the CPT’s delegation ................................................. 80 APPENDIX II: List of the national authorities, other bodies and non-governmental organisations with which the CPT's delegation held consultations ........................................................... 81 APPENDIX III: Revised CPT standards on means of restraint in psychiatric establishments for adults . 83 - 4 - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the course of the 2017 visit, the CPT’s delegation reviewed the treatment of persons detained by the police, the situation of inmates incarcerated in three county prisons in Zagreb, Split and Osijek and the treatment and conditions of detention at the Zagreb Hospital for Persons deprived of their Liberty. The delegation also examined the treatment of juveniles at Turopolje Juvenile Correctional Facility and the situation of involuntary psychiatric patients in the light of new mental health legislation. On the whole, the delegation received very good co-operation during the visit from the Croatian authorities with two notable exceptions which are described in the report and which have been the subject of prompt investigations on the part of the national authorities. Law enforcement establishments The vast majority of persons met by the delegation stated that they had been treated correctly by police officers at the time of apprehension and while in police custody. However, some allegations of physical ill-treatment consisting of slaps, kicks and punches inflicted by police officers at the time of the arrest and during questioning (including during so-called “informative talks”) were received and, in a few cases, the evidence recorded upon admission to prison in the inmates’ medical files supported the allegations. The CPT recommends that police officers be reminded that physical ill-treatment is unacceptable and it invokes the need for perpetrators to be subjected to criminal penalties as well as disciplinary sanctions. The report also includes an analysis by the CPT of recent developments concerning judicial investigations into allegations of ill-treatment. In particular, in two relevant judgments of the ECtHR and of the Constitutional Court of Croatia, it was found that the authorities had failed to conduct effective investigations into serious and credible allegations of physical ill-treatment. The current complaints system against police misconduct at the level of the Ministry of the Interior is also assessed in the report. In terms of the operational safeguards related to deprivation of liberty by the police, most persons indicated that they were able to inform a third person of their arrest, although this possibility was sometimes delayed by police officers. Further, the provisions on free legal aid, render it virtually impossible for criminal suspects to have access to an ex officio lawyer from the outset of their deprivation of liberty. The report