From Ukraine, Sir Malcolm commented;

Over the week we have been assessing how recommendations from our first visit in 2011, such as the need for legal reform, increased institutional oversight to reduce risk factors for torture, and comprehensive medical examinations of people in detention, have been implemented.

The SPT’s work is conducted on the basis of confidentiality, but we encourage all States parties to agree to our reports being made public as an important tool in torture prevention. So we particularly welcome the recent agreement by the Ukrainian authorities to allow publication of our 2011 report.

The SPT has a mandate to visit all States that have ratified the Optional Protocol (OPCAT), which Ukraine did in 2006.

The four-member SPT delegation met with government officials, members of parliament and civil society, and visited places where people may be deprived of liberty, including prisons, police stations, psychiatric institutions and residential care facilities.

The delegation also held talks with an independent national body mandated to monitor places of detention, officially known as a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). After the SPT’s first visit in November 2012, Ukraine  entrusted the NPM role to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.

Sir Malcolm concluded:

We have made good progress. Our talks have focused on ways of strengthening efforts to prevent and eliminate torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees in the country. We have provided guidance to ensure the effective functioning of the national preventive mechanism established under OPCAT.

Joining Sir Malcolm Evans on the trip were Ms. Mari Amos (Estonia), Ms. June Caridad Pagaduan Lopez (Philippines), and Mr. Victor Zaharia (Moldova).