32 International cooperation Contact with the SPT The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) was established through the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, and began its work in February 2007. ­ dvisory role vis-a-vis national preventive mechanisms. a The SPT and the NPMs are authorised to exchange ­confidential information when necessary. Thus far, the SPT has not made any independent visits to places of detention in Norway. The SPT comprises 25 independent experts elected for four-year terms by the states which have ratified the Optional Protocol. The experts come from different specialist fields, including psychology, medicine, law and human rights. In October 2014, Nora Sveaass, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Oslo, was elected as an SPT member. The SPT is also mandated to collaborate with other relevant bodies and organisations at the international, regional and national levels working to strengthen protections against torture and ill-treatment. These include the CPT and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment. When states ratify the Optional Protocol, they undertake to grant the SPT unfettered access to all places of detention, and provide opportunities to conduct private conversations with persons deprived of their liberty and other involved parties. Reprisals against persons or organisations who speak to the SPT are prohibited. In addition to conducting visits, the SPT has a special The SPT submits an annual report on its activities to the UN Committee against Torture (CAT). The Optional Protocol facilitates special cooperation between the SPT and national preventive mechanisms. In 2014, the NPM established good contact with the SPT, which has contributed expertise and information during the launch of Norway’s prevention efforts. In June, the NPM’s staff travelled to Geneva on a study trip during which they met with two SPT members: Mari Amos, the contact point for Europe, and Viktor Xaharia, the country rapporteur for Norway, among others. The meeting helped to establish a positive dialogue with the SPT and to clarify the SPT’s expectations of the work done in Norway. During the meeting, there was also discussion of which methods have proven effective in prevention efforts. On 26 August 2014, the NPM organised a workshop with SPT member Mari Amos in Oslo. The workshop focused on the practical organisation of visits to places where persons are deprived of their liberty, and particularly on methods for conducting private conversations with detainees and other affected persons and post-visit reporting. Malcolm Evans, SPT chair, at the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s human rights conference. In October, SPT chair Malcolm Evans attended the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s human rights conference in Oslo. At the conference, he spoke on the establishment of the SPT, the committee’s work methods and how the SPT assists national preventive mechanisms. “Whether or not ill-treatment occurs in practice, there is always a need for States to be vigilant in order to prevent ill-treatment. The scope of preventive work is large, encompassing any form of abuse of people deprived of their liberty which, if unchecked, could grow into torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Preventive visiting looks at legal and system features and current practice, including conditions, in order to identify where the gaps in protection exist and which safeguards require strengthening.” 15 Norway’s National Preventive Mechanism – Annual Report 2014