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75. During a follow-up visit to the Special Prison Hospital in Belgrade, the
CPT’s delegation found that the combination of severe overcrowding, dilapidated
facilities, lack of staff and limited therapeutic options was leading to conditions
that could be considered as inhuman and degrading. The Serbian authorities
emphasise in their response that refurbishment of the hospital has been set as
a priority and provide details on the work to be carried out during the period
2012 to 2014.
76. At Gornjia Toponica Special Psychiatric Hospital, the delegation observed
that there was a considerable risk of inter-patient violence, a situation linked to
low staff presence on the wards. As for psychiatric treatment, it was based essentially on pharmacotherapy; the range of psycho-social rehabilitative activities
was very limited, mainly as a result of understaffing. It was also found that
certain patients had not had access to outdoor exercise for more than seven
months; however, the report notes the prompt action taken by the Hospital’s
Director to remedy this state of affairs. The CPT has recommended that efforts
be made to expand the range of therapeutic options, to involve more patients
in psycho-social rehabilitative activities and to draw up an individual treatment
plan for each patient; this will require increasing the number and attendance
hours of the relevant categories of staff.
In their response, the Serbian authorities refer to new regulations aimed at
enhancing the programme of occupational and social rehabilitation and which
will involve the introduction of individual treatment plans.
Report and response published in June 2012, CPT/Inf (2012) 17
and CPT/Inf (2012) 18
Preliminary observations made by the CPT’s delegation at the end
of the ad hoc visit to Ukraine in November/December 2011
(treatment of persons in police custody, conditions of detention in police and
pre-trial establishments, health care provided to certain persons held at the
Kyiv SIZO)
77. The CPT’s delegation received numerous allegations from detained persons, including women and juveniles, that they had been subjected to physical
ill-treatment at the time of arrest or during subsequent questioning by police
officers. In a number of cases, the alleged ill-treatment was of such a severity
that it could be considered to amount to torture (e.g. infliction of electric shocks;
asphyxiation with a plastic bag or gas mask; suspension in a hyper-extended
position; death threats with a gun put to the head). In some cases, the allegations
made were supported by medical evidence.
The information gathered during the visit suggests that the phenomenon of police
ill-treatment remains widespread and that persons run a significant risk of being
subjected to ill-treatment while in the hands of the police, in particular, when
they do not rapidly confess to the criminal offence(s) of which they are suspected.
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