CAT/C/ESP/CO/6
The Committee reminds the State party that it must ensure that no one is expelled,
returned or extradited to another State when there are substantial grounds for
believing that the person would run a personal and foreseeable risk of being subjected
to torture. In addition, the State party should refrain from seeking or accepting
diplomatic assurances as a safeguard against torture or ill treatment in such cases.
The Committee points out that the torture reported by Ali Aarrass may constitute a
violation of the provisions of the Convention, and calls for proper investigations.
Non-refoulement
13.
The Committee is seriously concerned at the practice of summary forced return —
known as “hot expulsion” — from the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, carried out
with no prior risk assessment and preventing access to the refugee status determination
procedure. In that regard, it notes with concern that the first final provision of the Public
Security Act, adopted in March 2015, amends the Aliens Act to put a veneer of legality on
such summary expulsion, in the form of the new legal concept of “rejection at the border”
(art. 3).
The Committee urges the State party to revise its immigration and asylum legislation
to give unconditional effect to the right of non-refoulement, in accordance with article
3 of the Convention, and to take all necessary measures to fully observe that right in
all circumstances. It should also ensure proper evaluation of each individual case,
including the identification of possible victims of torture, and guarantee to all persons
in need of international protection access to asylum procedures, including refugee
status determination.
Obligation to extradite or prosecute (aut dedere aut judicare)
14.
The Committee notes with concern that extradition requests from the Argentine
Government in respect of persons, including several former ministers, suspected of crimes
of torture under the Franco regime have been denied by the State party on the grounds that
the acts of which they are accused do not constitute crimes against humanity and are
therefore subject to the statute of limitations. In this regard, the Committee is concerned
that this situation may give rise to impunity in those cases where the State party does not
investigate the alleged crimes, as well as constituting a violation of the Convention (arts. 5
and 7).
The Committee reminds the State party that, in order to avoid impunity, it must apply
the principle of aut dedere aut judicare when the alleged perpetrator of acts of torture
is in its territory, in accordance with article 5, paragraph 2, of the Convention. The
Committee also reiterates that the investigation and prosecution of acts of torture
should not be constrained by the application of the statute of limitations.
Amnesty
15.
The Committee notes with grave concern that the 1977 Amnesty Act remains in
force. The Committee is also concerned that the Supreme Court has found that criminal
investigation into serious human rights violations committed during the Civil War and the
Franco regime (1936–1975) is not warranted, in part because such offences are covered by
the statute of limitations or the alleged perpetrators are deceased or are covered by the 1977
Amnesty Act (arts. 12, 13 and 14).
The Committee urges the State party to take all necessary legislative and other
measures to ensure that crimes of torture, including enforced disappearance, are not
subject to amnesty or a term of limitation, and that this rule is scrupulously observed
in practice. The State party should also ensure that victims of torture or ill treatment
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