CAT/C/SEN/CO/3
The Committee recommends that the State party hasten the adoption of the bill to
establish the position of Children’s Ombudsman and that it train more judges for
juvenile courts. The Committee recommends that the State party set up a juvenile
justice system in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United
Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (Beijing
Rules, General Assembly resolution 40/33) and the United Nations Guidelines for the
Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (Riyadh Guidelines, General Assembly resolution
40/112).
Situation of journalists and human rights defenders
20.
The Committee regrets the lack of information on allegations of intimidation,
threats, physical attacks and arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and journalists.
While taking note of the information supplied on the steps taken to prosecute officers who
allegedly used excessive force during the pre-election demonstrations in 2012, the
Committee regrets in particular the lack of information on the outcome of investigations
concerning members of Rencontre africaine pour la défense des droits de l’homme and the
journalists Mr. Boubacar Kambel Dieng and Mr. Karamokho Thioune (arts. 2, 12, 13 and
16).
The State party should provide information on specific measures taken in the abovementioned cases and the penalties handed down. The State party should take all
necessary steps to protect human rights defenders and journalists and punish severely
the perpetrators of violence, torture or intimidation directed at them.
Situation of refugees and asylum seekers
21.
The Committee notes that further efforts need to be made to complete the issuance
of identity cards to refugees and that the law on the status of refugees has not yet been
revised (arts. 3 and 16).
The State party should hasten the adoption of the revised law on the status of refugees
to consolidate safeguards for protecting refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced
persons and stateless persons, including by setting up a body to rule on applications
for refugee status and on a range of issues such as family reunification and the
protection of unaccompanied minors. The Committee encourages the State party to
continue with its efforts to facilitate the integration of refugees, including by issuing
identity cards, in collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees.
Redress, including rehabilitation
22.
The Committee regrets the lack of information on compensation awarded by the
courts of the State party to the victims of violations of the Convention, including
individuals denied their fundamental rights or tortured or ill-treated in custody. The
Committee also regrets the lack of information on any treatment or social rehabilitation
services for torture victims (art. 14).
The State party should provide information on additional measures to ensure that the
victims of torture or ill-treatment obtain full and fair compensation and the fullest
possible rehabilitation. It should speed up the adoption and implementation of the bill
on compensation for victims held in detention for a long time who have suffered
particularly serious harm, as well as of the rehabilitation programmes to be set up.
The Committee draws the attention of the State party to its recent general comment
on article 14 (CAT/C/GC/3) which explains the content and scope of the obligations of
States parties to provide full compensation to victims of torture.
GE.13-40312
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