CAT/C/BIH/CO/2-5
the status and rights of civil victims of war in domestic legislation and the insufficient
medical or psychosocial support and legal protection available to victims, especially
victims of war-time sexual violence (art.14).
The Committee recommends that the State party adopt the draft law on the
rights of victims of torture and civil victims of war and the strategy for
transitional justice without delay in order to fully protect the rights of victims,
including the provision of compensation and as full a rehabilitation as possible,
with the aim of obtaining physical and psychological recovery and their social
reintegration. To that end, the State party is strongly encouraged to reduce
politicization of these efforts, to finalize a plan of action with clearly identified
activities and corresponding responsibilities among State and entity authorities
and to ensure the allocation of adequate financial resources.
Conditions of detention
19.
While welcoming the measures taken by the State party to improve considerably the
conditions of detention, including the construction of new facilities and the renovation of
existing ones, the Committee remains particularly concerned about the current material and
hygienic conditions, the use of solitary confinement, the problems of overcrowding and
ongoing inter-prisoner violence in some places of deprivation of liberty (arts. 11, 12 and 16).
The State party should intensify its efforts to bring the conditions of detention
in places of deprivation of liberty into line with the Standard Minimum Rules
for the Treatment of Prisoners (Economic and Social Council resolutions 663 C
(XXIV) and 2076 (LXII)) and other relevant international and national law
standards, in particular by:
(a)
Coordinating the judicial supervision of conditions of detention
between competent organs and ensuring thorough investigations of all
allegations of abuse or ill-treatment committed in detention facilities;
(b)
Drawing up a comprehensive plan to address the issue of interprisoner violence and sexual violence in all detention facilities, including Zenica
Prison, and ensuring effective investigations into those cases;
(c)
Reducing prison overcrowding and considering non-custodial
forms of detention;
(d)
Ensuring that solitary confinement is used only as a measure of
last resort for as short a time as possible under strict supervision;
(e)
Strengthening the effort to improve the regime for prisoners,
especially vocational and physical activities, and to facilitate their reintegration into society;
(f)
Ensuring that minors are detained separately from adults through
their whole period of detention or confinement and offering them educational
and recreational activities;
(g)
Providing adequate accommodation and psychosocial support
care for detainees who require psychiatric supervision and treatment.
Psychiatric facilities
20.
While noting the progress made in psychiatric facilities, including Sokolac
Psychiatric Clinic, the Committee remains concerned at issues of institutional
accommodation of mentally disabled persons, in particular with regard to overcrowding in
institutions and lack of adequate psychosocial support by competent organs (art. 16).
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