-78.
Of course, the interim and follow-up responses by States to the CPT's visit reports remain the backbone
of the on-going dialogue. Most States continue to forward their responses broadly within the time-limits set by
the CPT.
However, the CPT wishes to stress the importance of States also responding in time - and in a detailed
fashion - to immediate observations made by a delegation during a visit, pursuant to Article 8, paragraph 5, of
the Convention. Immediate observations relate to matters considered to be particularly urgent; consequently, a
failure to respond in an adequate manner to such observations constitutes a significant violation of the principle
of cooperation set out in Article 3 of the Convention.
C.
Publications
9.
In the course of 1997, the CPT's reports on visits to Bulgaria, Cyprus (two visit reports), Denmark,
Germany, Italy, Norway, Slovakia and Switzerland were published at the request of the Governments
concerned, as were several interim and follow-up responses of Governments.2 At the time of writing, 49 of the
70 visit reports so far drawn up by the CPT have been published. Many of the remaining twenty-one visit
reports have only recently been forwarded to Governments and will in all likelihood be published in due
course.
10.
All visit reports which have been published, as well as the CPT's annual reports, are now accessible via
the Internet (http://www.cpt.coe.fr); published responses by Governments are also accessible provided that they
have been forwarded to the CPT in electronic format. The CPT's web site also contains information on recent
developments, such as new signatures and ratifications of the Convention and its Protocols, visits which have
recently been carried out (indicating the composition of the delegation and establishments visited) and updated
lists of the names and abridged curricula vitae of the Committee's members.
11.
1997 also saw publication of the first volume of the Yearbook of the European Convention for the
Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Published by the Human Rights
Law Centre of the University of Nottingham, in association with the Secretariat of the CPT, Volume 1 (1989 1992) includes the text of the Convention, the CPT's Rules of Procedure, the Committee's visit reports and the
State responses which were published during that period, as well as other information about the CPT and the
Convention. Successive volumes will be published in respect of each year of the Committee's activities. The
CPT welcomes this initiative, which should serve to foster further awareness of its activities, particularly in
academic circles.3
2
Moreover, to date in 1998 five additional visit reports have been published (concerning visits to
Belgium, France, Portugal, Romania and Spain).
3
The Yearbook may be ordered directly from: Human Rights Law Centre, Department of Law,
University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom.