CAT/C/HRV/CO/4-5 (g) The amendments to the Aliens Act, in 2013; (h) The Act on Free Legal Aid, in 2014. 5. The Committee also welcomes the State party’s adoption of: the Migration Policy of the Republic of Croatia for the Period 2013–2015; the National Programme for Protection and Promotion of Human Rights for the Period 2013–2016; the National Strategy for Roma Inclusion 2013-2020 and the accompanying action plan (2013–2015) for implementation of the Strategy; and the National Plan for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons for 2012– 2015. C. Principal subjects of concern and recommendations Fundamental legal safeguards against torture and ill-treatment of persons deprived of their liberty 6. The Committee welcomes the inclusion of fundamental legal safeguards against torture and ill-treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the State party’s legislation, and also welcomes the reduction of the pretrial detention period. However, the Committee expresses its concern at the State party’s failure in practice to afford all persons deprived of their liberty all fundamental legal safeguards from the very outset of detention. The Committee is concerned over reports: (a) on the existing practice of summoning persons to the police station and engaging them in “informative talks” for several hours before formally declaring them criminal suspects and before allowing them to contact a lawyer; (b) that detainees do not have the right to have access to a doctor of their own choice; (c) that medical examinations of detainees have been conducted in the presence of police officers; (d) that some detainees have not been allowed to inform family members of their detention; (e) that detention on remand during pretrial proceedings appears to be the norm rather than the exception in the judicial practice of the State party’s courts; (f) that individuals in pretrial detention have been detained with convicted prisoners; and (g) that individuals accused of crimes have been evaluated as posing a danger to themselves or others, transferred to different psychiatric hospitals for forensic evaluation and held for months pending evaluation (arts. 1, 4, 12, 13, 15, 16). The State party should immediately adopt measures to ensure in law and in practice that every person deprived of his or her liberty is afforded legal safeguards against torture from the outset of detention. The State party should ensure that: (a) All individuals deprived of their liberty: have prompt and unimpeded access to an independent lawyer of their choice; obtain, on their request, immediate access to an independent medical examination; and may contact a family member; (b) Any public official who denies fundamental legal safeguards to persons deprived of their liberty is disciplined or prosecuted; it should also provide data to the Committee on the number of cases in which public officials have been disciplined for such conduct; (c) The judiciary and the prosecution, whenever appropriate, promote less restrictive alternatives to detention; (d) All medical examinations of persons in police custody are conducted by independent medical practitioners and out of the sight and hearing of law enforcement officials; (e) prisoners; 2 Individuals in pretrial detention are kept separately from convicted