During its 2012 visit to Iceland, the CPT delegation discovered “a movable wooden board fitted with six metal rings” at Litla-Hraun Prison.221 The delegation learned of an incident on 10 July 2012, when a prisoner at the prison had been restrained using this wooden board, placed face down and handcuffed behind his back for approximately two hours. This was a potentially dangerous situation, especially as the inmate concerned was reportedly asthmatic. Following a formal request by the CPT delegation, the Icelandic authorities, in their letter of 23 January 2013, informed the CPT that a formal decision had been taken to remove the wooden restraint board and not to use it again. 222 From 2012-2017, the CPT has documented the possession or use of ad hoc or specially designed restraint or fixation beds in Bosnia and Herzegovina223, Finland224, Iceland225, Italy226, Montenegro227 and the Netherlands228 and called for their removal from the relevant prisons. In addition to raising specific cases of concern, the CPT has enunciated that “in principle, restraint beds should not be used in a non-medical setting.”229 Despite the CPT’s concerns it appears that certain CoE member States continue to allow the potential use of such devices in prisons or other places of detention. For example, a Georgian Law on Imprisonment, which came into force on 1st August 2014230 (and has been subsequently revised), allows the limited use of a range of mechanical restraint devices, including restraint chairs and restraint beds. 231 5.2.3.2. Promotion and/or transfer of restraint chairs or beds There do not appear to be any CoE companies currently manufacturing restraint chairs, shackle boards or shackle beds. However, there are indications that restraint chairs have previously been imported into the CoE region. According to the US based manufacturer Safety Restraint Chair Inc., “The restraint chair has been sold across the U.S., in Canada, and internationally in countries like Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and South Korea.” 232 The chair manufactured by Safety Restraint Chair Inc., has been promoted for 221 CPT, Report to the Icelandic Government on the visit to Iceland carried out by CPT from 18 to 24 September 2012, 5 December 2013, paragraph 7. 222 CPT (5 December 2013) op.cit., paragraph 37. 223 CPT (5 July 2016) op.cit. 224 CPT, Report to the Finnish Government on the visit to Finland carried out by the European Committee for the CPT from 22 September to 2 October 2014, 20 August 2015. 225 CPT (5 December 2013) op.cit., paragraph 7. 226 CPT, Report to the Italian Government on the visit to Italy carried out by the European Committee for the CPT from 14 to 26 September 2008, 20 April 2010. 227 CPT (22 May 2014) op.cit. 228 CPT, Report to the Government of the Netherlands on the visit to the Netherlands carried out by the CPT from 2 to 13 May 2016, 25 November 2016. 229 See for example, CPT, Report to the Swedish Government on the visit to Sweden carried out by the CPT from 18 to 28 May 2015, 17 February 2016, paragraph 90. 230 Georgia, Law of Georgia No 3523 of 1 May 2015, Imprisonment Code, 2014, available at https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/download/91612/18/en/pdf (accessed 18 January 2018). 231 The guidelines for the use of such devices state: (b) A straight jacket, restraint chair, restraint bed—for a person who tried to injure himself or others and/or who is likely to injure or harm another person or damage state property; whose actions are prominently aggressive. The instruments of restraint shall be used under the supervision of a physician. [Georgian Minister of Corrections, The Rules and Terms on Types of Instruments of Restraint, their Maintaining, Carrying and Using and on Identification of Persons Entitled to Use Them, Order No. 145, 12 Sep. 2014, (unofficial translation)]. 232 Safety Restraint Chair, Inc. company information, http://restraintchair.com/our-company.php (accessed 14 May 2015). 47