CAT/C/SVK/CO/3
(f)
Ensure that prosecutors and judges are automatically notified of all
cases of ill-treatment and torture in police detention facilities, regardless of the
possible absence of visible injuries, make video recordings of all actions by the police,
including interrogations, and ensure that persons who have made allegations of
torture and ill-treatment, as well as witnesses to such acts, are protected from
reprisals;
(g)
State at the highest political level that there will be no tolerance for
excessive use of force against persons deprived of their liberty by law enforcement
officials, including against members of ethnic minorities;
(h)
Take measures to eradicate all forms of harassment and ill-treatment by
police during investigations and ensure that law enforcement officials are trained in
professional techniques and international standards on the use of force and firearms;
(i)
Continue the recruitment of police officers of Roma origin and expand
the functions of Roma police specialists.
Involuntary sterilization of Roma women
12.
The Committee is concerned at reports of sterilization of Roma women without free
and informed consent and about the difficulties of victims in obtaining redress (arts. 2, 14
and 16).
The Committee recommends that the State party investigate promptly, impartially
and effectively all allegations of involuntary sterilization of Roma women and provide
victims with fair and adequate redress. Medical personnel who have conducted
sterilizations without free, full and informed consent should be held criminally liable,
prosecuted and punished. They should also be trained on appropriate means of
obtaining free and informed consent from women undergoing sterilization, and all
written materials relating to sterilization should be translated into the Romani
language and other relevant languages.
Efficiency of the judicial system and length of judicial proceedings
13.
The Committee is concerned at the lack of efficiency of the judicial system,
including the slowness of judicial proceedings, which creates a backlog of cases. It is
concerned in particular about criminal proceedings involving cases of excessive use of
force and abuse of power by law enforcement officials, which have resulted in acquittals
that were subsequently quashed by a higher judicial instance and have been pending before
the lower courts for several years, such as in the Košice case (arts. 2, 12, 13 and 16).
The State party should improve the functioning of the judicial system in order to
enhance the speed and efficiency of judicial proceedings, in particular with regard to
criminal justice, and reduce the backlog of cases in its courts.
Domestic violence
14.
While noting the steps taken by the State party to address violence against women
and domestic violence, the Committee is concerned at the fact that domestic violence is not
a separate crime in the Criminal Code. It is also concerned at the wide prevalence of
violence against women in the State party and the low number of complaints in this regard,
as well as the low number of investigations and prosecutions (arts. 2, 12-14 and 16).
The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a)
Define and introduce domestic violence, including sexual violence and
marital rape, as specific offences in the Criminal Code, with appropriate sanctions;
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