CAT/C/NOR/CO/8
persons residing there, and that some have been handcuffed while being transferred. It is
also concerned about the absence of a prompt mandatory offer of a medical examination
upon arrival in all immigration detention facilities, and in particular with regard to the long
delays and the refusal of some municipalities that host asylum reception centres to provide
health-care services to asylum seekers, citing linguistic and cultural difficulties, their lack
of expertise and their uncertain residence status. This makes it impossible to detect signs of
torture and provide the necessary treatment to affected persons (arts. 3, 11 and 16).
28.
The Committee reiterates (see CAT/C/NOR/CO/6-7, para. 15) that the State
party should ensure that persons held at the Trandum Holding Centre, together with
those in other immigration detention facilities, are treated in accordance with the law
and are held only for the duration prescribed by law, and that the prevailing
conditions and treatment are in line with international standards, including the
Nelson Mandela Rules. They should also enjoy all safeguards with regard to nonrefoulement. The State party should ensure that prompt mandatory offers of medical
examinations are provided to persons accommodated in all the centres promptly upon
arrival and establish procedures for identifying torture victims among asylum seekers
and for assessing the risk of torture in cases of deportation.
Training
29.
While taking note of the training and educational programmes provided to law
enforcement and prison officials, and the measures taken to develop non-coercive
investigation techniques, the Committee is concerned that public monitoring bodies
discovered that staff at Norgerhaven Prison in the Netherlands, which was leased by
Norway for a period of three years ending on 31 August 2018, showed a low degree of
knowledge with regard to the Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (the Istanbul
Protocol) and that training on the provisions of the Convention and the Istanbul Protocol
may not be provided to all medical and other professionals dealing with persons deprived of
their liberty in the State party (arts. 2, 10, 11 and 16).
30.
The State party should:
(a)
Ensure that the Istanbul Protocol is made an essential part of the
training for all medical professionals and other public officials involved in work with
persons deprived of their liberty;
(b)
Make training on the provisions of the Convention and the absolute
prohibition of torture mandatory for law enforcement and prison officials, as well as
for judges, prosecutors and lawyers;
(c)
Develop and implement specific methodologies to assess the effectiveness
and impact of training and educational programmes provided to relevant public
officials on the provisions of the Convention in terms of reducing the number of cases
of torture.
Monitoring of places of deprivation of liberty
31.
The Committee is concerned that the State party’s lease of Norgerhaven Prison in
the Netherlands provided only limited access for monitoring the treatment of prisoners. It is
also concerned that the majority of prisoners who were transferred to Norgerhaven Prison
were foreigners (arts. 2, 11, 12, 13 and 16)
32.
The State party should:
(a)
Refrain from leasing detention facilities outside its territory and should
ensure that State party officials and public monitoring bodies, including the national
preventive mechanism and the national human rights institution, are able to carry out
fully their obligations under the Convention, including to monitor and keep under
review the conditions of detention in all prisons and places in which persons are
deprived of their liberty;
8