CAT/OP/HUN/R.2 I. Introduction 1. In accordance with its mandate under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT), the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT), carried out its first regular visit to the Hungary from 21 to 30 March 2017. 2. The Subcommittee members conducting the visit were: Mari Amos (head of delegation), Arman Danielyan, Nora Sveaass, Aneta Stanchevska. The Subcommittee was assisted by three Human Rights Officers from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations security officers and interpreters. 3. During the visit, the Subcommittee conducted visits to places of deprivation of liberty, including police stations, remand prisons, immigration detention centres, guarded asylum centres, correctional educational establishments for juveniles, psychiatric and forensic institutions, and penitentiary hospital (Annex 1). The Subcommittee held meetings with relevant authorities of Hungary, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, the national preventive mechanism (NPM). The delegation met with the members of civil society and the Regional Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for Central Europe (Annex II). 4 Meetings held with members of the national preventive mechanism and with the members of Civic Consultative Body (CCB) permitted the Subcommittee to discuss the mechanism’s mandate and working methods and to explore ways to strengthen and increase its effectiveness. In order to better understand how the mechanism works in practice, the Subcommittee also visited, together with the mechanism, a place of deprivation of liberty that had been chosen by the mechanism. The visit was led by the NPM, with the members of the Subcommittee as observers. 5. At the conclusion of the visit, the delegation presented its confidential preliminary observations orally to the authorities of Hungary. The Subcommittee will send a separate confidential report to the authorities in which it will make recommendations to the State party. 6. The present report sets out the observations and recommendations of the Subcommittee addressed to the national preventive mechanism of Hungary. These recommendations are made in accordance with the Subcommittee’s mandate to offer training and technical assistance and to advise and assist the mechanism, in accordance with article 11 (b) (ii) and (iii) of the Optional Protocol. The present report remains confidential unless the mechanism decides to make it public, in accordance with article 16 (2) of the Optional Protocol. 7. The Subcommittee draws the attention of the national preventive mechanism to the Special Fund established in accordance with article 26 of the Optional Protocol. Recommendations contained in visit reports that have been made public can form the basis of an application for funding of specific projects through the Fund, in accordance with its rules. 9. The Subcommittee wishes to express its gratitude to the national preventive mechanism of Hungary for its assistance and cooperation during the visit. II. National preventive mechanism 10. Hungary acceded to the OPCAT in 2012 with a declaration under the article 24, postponing the establishment of its national preventive mechanism for three years. In October 2012, the SPT was notified that that as of January 2015 the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights will perform the function of Hungarian national preventive mechanism. 1 The 1 http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/OPCAT/NPM/Hungary30102012.pdf 3