A/68/44 Penal Code, which includes discrimination based on political views and sexual orientation, the Committee regrets the absence of a reference to “any reason based on discrimination of any kind” (art. 1). The State party should consider amending its current definition of torture in order to include any form of discrimination as an element of the definition of torture. National human rights institution (8) While noting the intention of the State party to develop a strategy for the establishment of a national human rights institution that is fully compliant with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles), the Committee expresses its concern that this had not yet occurred (art. 2). The Committee urges the State party to establish a national human rights institution with a mandate in accordance with the Paris Principles, and provide it with the necessary financial and human resources. Preventive detention (9) The Committee expresses its concern regarding the system of preventive detention, in particular concerning the frequency by which it is used as well as, in some cases, its prolonged length. The Committee further notes with regret that minors between 15 and 18 years old may be subject to preventive detention (arts. 2, 11 and 16). The State party should revise its system of preventive detention, reducing its use to an absolute minimum. Taking into account the provisions of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (the Beijing Rules), the State party should also consider abolishing the practice of subjecting young offenders to preventive detention, except in exceptional and extraordinary cases according to specific and strict criteria defined by law. Pretrial detention (10) The Committee expresses its serious concern with regard to the extensive use of police detention cells for pretrial detention longer than 48 hours and regrets that minors also continue to be subjected to this practice. The Committee regrets further that there is a lack of general and formalized routines on how to handle minors in pretrial detention, as the Norwegian Ombudsman for Children has received reports by several minors describing their stay as “extremely exhausting”, with inadequate follow-up from the child welfare service and health-care services (arts. 11, 12, 13 and 16). The State party should abolish the widespread use of police detention cells beyond the 48-hour term required by the law. The State party should use pretrial detention of minors as a measure of last resort and should also ensure that child welfare emergency officers are available in all police districts. It should develop clear and foreseeable routines for treatment of minors in police custody and see they are effectively implemented in practice. Solitary confinement (11) The Committee regrets the widespread and, in some cases, the prolonged use of solitary confinement, which might constitute a violation of the Convention. While noting with concern that almost one third of the cases concerned prisoners on remand, the Committee regrets that detailed statistics on the use and the length of solitary confinement are not yet available. The Committee also expresses its concern about the existing legal basis for the use of solitary confinement, as it is not formulated with sufficient precision, leaving the possibility for highly discretionary decisions, which prevents the possibility of 34 GE.13-46043

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents