8.2. abolish limitation periods for the crime of torture and other crimes of ill-treatment committed by law enforcement and other public officials;

8.3. guarantee access without barriers to fundamental procedural safeguards from the very outset of the deprivation of liberty, including the right of access to an independent lawyer, the right to have one’s detention notified to a relative or another third person of one’s choice, and the right to be examined by an independent doctor;

8.4. ensure appropriate record-keeping of the detention and police interviews and video-taping of all police interviews and interrogations. Video cameras should be introduced in interrogation rooms, detention facilities, police vehicles and as body worn video cameras. Uniformed police officers should always wear a clearly distinctive insignia and an identification number;

8.5. regulate the maximum duration and modalities of police interviews, through legislation, regulations or guidelines;

8.6. consider drawing inspiration from the model of investigative interviewing based on the principle “from the evidence to the suspect” rather than “from the suspect to the evidence”;

8.7. ensure that evidence obtained through torture or ill-treatment is inadmissible in criminal proceedings;

8.8. put in place rigorous recruitment processes of law enforcement officials and prison staff based on strict selection criteria, provide adequate remuneration, initial and continuous training on human rights standards and prevention of torture and ill-treatment, and elaborate clear codes of conduct;

8.9. increase and reinforce prison staff in order to prevent reliance on “duty prisoners” or informal power structures among inmates;

8.10. set up reporting procedures and measures to encourage and protect whistle-blowers for cases of ill-treatment by the police or in the prison context;

8.11. ensure that independent prosecuting and judicial authorities thoroughly examine and investigate all arguable complaints of ill-treatment against law enforcement officials and prison staff and, where appropriate, impose adequate penalties on perpetrators, in line with the relevant procedural obligations imposed by Article 3 of the Convention, the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

8.12. take all appropriate measures to establish accessible and effective remedies or mechanisms which ensure that victims of torture and ill-treatment receive prompt and adequate reparation. This may include measures of restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition;

8.13. transmit at the highest political level, but also at the management level of law enforcement agencies and penitentiary establishments, a “zero tolerance” message towards torture and ill-treatment;

8.14. ratify, if they have not yet done so, the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) and set up independent and effective national preventive mechanisms, with unconditional access to all places of deprivation of liberty and sufficient resources;

8.15. co-operate fully with international bodies which monitor compliance with the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, such as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and other relevant treaty bodies;

8.16. speedily implement the CPT recommendations concerning their country and execute, as a matter of urgency, the judgments of the Court finding violations of Article 3 of the Convention in relation to torture and inhuman or degrading treatment inflicted in places of detention, by taking the appropriate individual and general measures under the supervision of the Committee of Ministers;

8.17. give careful consideration to requests for asylum from whistle-blowers and human rights defenders who revealed or denounced the use of torture and ill-treatment in their countries and had to flee abroad in order to avoid persecution;

8.18. co-operate with the Council of Europe Development Bank to contribute to the implementation of and possible financial support for prison infrastructure reform projects in member States that are aimed at preventing inhuman or degrading treatment inflicted in places of detention and fulfilling relevant CPT recommendations.

28 DE FEVEREIRO DE 2024 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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