10
Contacts with other bodies
21.
The CPT has maintained its efforts to promote
synergy with other bodies, both within and outside the
Council of Europe.
At its March 2008 plenary session, the CPT
met with representatives of the European Court of
Human Rights (including the Court’s President, JeanPaul Costa) to exchange views on three specific
subjects : prisoners subjected to prolonged isolation;
“actual” life sentences; and the use of “diplomatic
assurances” in the context of deportation procedures.
The CPT’s Secretariat is in regular contact
with the Office of the Council of Europe’s
Commissioner of Human Rights on matters of mutual
concern, and Commissioner Hammarberg met
members of the CPT’s Bureau on 29 January 2008.
Efforts have also continued in order to reinforce
relations between the CPT and other monitoring bodies
operating within the framework of the Directorate
General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs; for this
purpose, the CPT’s President attended a meeting of the
Heads of all the bodies concerned organised in
Strasbourg on 24 June 2008.
In addition, the CPT has continued to
contribute to the work of Council of Europe
committees of experts, most recently in relation to the
development of a mental health reference tool, draft
guidelines on accelerated asylum procedures, and draft
European Rules for juvenile offenders.
CPT: 18TH GENERAL REPORT
22.
As regards bodies outside the Council of
Europe, the CPT has continued to put a premium on
consolidating its relations with the United Nations
Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT). There
have been frequent contacts between the CPT’s Bureau
and the SPT’s Chairperson on questions of mutual
interest. Further, the Secretary of the SPT recently held
detailed practical discussions over two days with
members of the CPT’s Secretariat in Strasbourg.
Reference should also be made to an exchange of
views held by the CPT, at its November 2007 plenary
session, with Martin Scheinin, UN Special Rapporteur
on the promotion and protection of human rights and
fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.
The CPT plans in the coming months to step
up its contacts with relevant institutions of the
European Union. The Committee believes that there is
considerable scope for developing synergy with such
institutions, in particular (but not exclusively) in
relation to the implementation of recommendations
made by the CPT after country visits.
Comments on the draft European
Rules for juvenile offenders
23.
The CPT is particularly grateful for having
been given the opportunity to make comments on the
draft European Rules for juvenile offenders subject to
sanctions or measures, first at the level of the Council
of Penological Co-operation and subsequently when
the draft Rules were considered by the European
Committee on Crime Problems.
There is on the whole a high degree of
consonance between the latest version of the draft
Rules and the standards developed by the CPT in
relation to juvenile offenders. The Committee also
appreciates the frequent references to its standards in
the Commentary to the draft Rules. Nevertheless, the
CPT would like to highlight a few points about which
it has some concern.