A/HRC/16/52/Add.5 I. Introduction 1. The Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak, undertook a visit to Papua New Guinea, from 14 to 25 May 2010, at the invitation of the Government. 2. The purpose of the visit was to assess the situation of torture and ill-treatment in the country, including conditions of detention, and to initiate a process of cooperation with the Government aimed at eradicating torture and ill-treatment. 3. The Special Rapporteur expresses his deep appreciation to the Government for its invitation to visit the country, which in itself is a sign of the Government’s willingness to open up to independent and objective scrutiny as a means to assess practices of torture and ill-treatment and strengthening assistance by the United Nations in the field of criminal justice. He also appreciates the full cooperation shown by the authorities during the course of the visit, and would like to thank the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary and the correctional services for issuing authorization letters providing him with access to all detention facilities. During the visit, he was able to carry out unannounced visits to places of detention and to conduct confidential interviews with detainees. 4. The Special Rapporteur held meetings with State officials, including the Minister for Justice and Attorney General, Ano Pala; the Minister for Internal Security, Sani Rambi; the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Michael M. Maue; the former Minister for the Interior and Justice, Bire Kimisopa; the Chief Administrator of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Patrick Koles; the Acting Commissioner of Correctional Services, Henry Wavik; the Deputy and Acting Commissioner of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, Tom Kolunga; and the Chief Ombudsman, Chronox Manek. 5. Besides the Government, the Special Rapporteur met with a broad range of civil society organizations, lawyers, members of different tribal communities and former victims. In addition, the Special Rapporteur held meetings with representatives of international organizations, including the United Nations country team, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the diplomatic community. 6. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur visited prisons, police stations and other detention facilities (see appendix). 7. The Special Rapporteur wishes to acknowledge with appreciation for the excellent support provided by the United Nations Resident Coordinator, David McLachlan-Karr, and the entire United Nations team for their excellent assistance prior to and during the visit; the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); Dr. Duarte Nuno Vieira, forensic doctor; and Tiphanie Crittin and Roland Schmidt of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights. 8. While still in the country, the Special Rapporteur shared his preliminary findings with the Government, which responded with constructive comments. On 27 October 2010, a preliminary version of the present report was sent to the Government for its comments. 4