Press Release
UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 00.01 hours on the morning of Thursday 10 February 2011.
Ireland’s leading human rights organisation, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has called for the incoming Government to act swiftly to implement recommendations released today (10 February 2010) by Europe’s Anti-Torture watchdog.
The report by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) follows the CPT’s fifth visit to Ireland from 25 January to 5 February 2010, during which it investigated conditions of detention in prisons, Garda stations and psychiatric institutions. The CPT’s findings have been released together with the Government’s response.
ICCL Director Mr Mark Kelly said:
“After eighteen years, and five visits to Ireland by Europe’s top anti-torture watchdog, this report makes clear that conditions in our prisons remain inhumane and degrading. Fair trial safeguards have been weakened and people in psychiatric care are still being kept in insalubrious and unsafe conditions. The ICCL calls upon the incoming Government to take urgent action to implement recommendations by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture which have been ignored for far too long. After a full Dáil debate on the Committee’s findings, an inter-departmental group must be given specific responsibility to ensure that the CPT’s recommendations are implemented within a clear timeframe”.
“More specifically, we are pleased that the CPT has reflected on the desirability of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission’s proposals to amend section 94 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 to “leaseback” certain investigations to the Garda Commissioner. In its response, the outgoing Government indicates that, being mindful of the CPT’s comments, the Ombudsman Commission no longer proposes to send back to the Garda Síochána matters “where it believes a criminal offence is disclosed”. Maintaining public confidence in the Ombudsman Commission’s work is vital and we trust that the incoming Government will decline to water down the Commission’s independence by tinkering with the Garda Síochána Act” Mr Kelly added.
Mark Kelly is available for interview and further comment
For more information, please contact:
Walter Jayawardene
Communications Manager
Irish Council for Civil Liberties
9-13 Blackhall Place
Dublin 7
Ireland
Tel. + 353 1 799 4504
Mob: +353 87 9981574
E-mail: walter.jayawardene@iccl.ie
NOTE TO EDITOR:
The CPT’s full report and the Government’s response will be available on the CPT’s website on 10 February 2011, at this address: http://www.cpt.coe.int/en/states/irl.htm
The vast majority of the recommendations, comments and requests for information in the CPT’s report relate to the situation in Ireland’s prisons. Comment on these aspects of the report is being made by the Irish Penal Reform Trust – Contact Fíona Ní Chinnéide, Campaigns & Communications Officer, Irish Penal Reform Trust. M: +353 (0) 87 135 4107. E: FNiChinneide@iprt.ie.
The report also deals with psychiatry. For comment on the issues relating to psychiatric detention, please contact the Irish Mental Health Alliance, c/o Amnesty International: Pippa Woolnough, Communications Officer (Mental Health) – 085-8353757
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) first visited Ireland in 1993, and has carried out further visits in 1998, 2002 and 2006.
The fifth visit to Ireland by a delegation of the CPT took place from 25 January to 5 February 2010.
In the course of the visit, the delegation held talks with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) and Amnesty International Ireland. It also met with Mr Dermot AHERN TD, then Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr John MOLONEY TD, Minister for Equality, Disability and Mental Health at the Department of Health, and Mr Barry ANDREWS TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Children and Youth Affairs. The delegation also met Mr Brian PURCELL, Director General of Prisons, and other senior government officials from the Ministries of Health and Children and of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, as well as the Garda Ombudsman Commission, the Inspector of Prisons and representatives of the Irish Human Rights Commission.
The delegation visited the following places of deprivation of liberty:
Establishments under the Ministry of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
An Garda Síochána:
– Bridewell Garda Station, Cork
– Mayfield Garda Station, Cork
– Bridewell Garda Station, Dublin
– Coolock Garda Station, Dublin
– Finglas Garda Station, Dublin
– Santry Garda Station, Dublin
– Sundrive Road Garda Station, Dublin
– Tallaght Garda Station, Dublin
Prison Service:
– Cork Prison
– Limerick Prison (female section)
– Midlands Prison
– Mountjoy Prison
– Portlaoise Prison
– St Patrick’s Institution
Targeted visits were paid to Cloverhill and Wheatfield Prisons to examine care afforded to prisoners with a mental health disorder. It also visited the Dóchas Women’s Centre to interview a particular prisoner.
Establishments under the Ministry of Health and Children
– Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Dublin
– St Brendan’s Hospital, Dublin
– St Ita’s Hospital, Portrane
– St Joseph’s Intellectual Disabilities Services, Portrane
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:
– Mario FELICE (Maltese), Head of delegation
– Celso DAS NEVES MANATA (Portuguese)
– Eugenius GEFENAS (Lithuanian)
– Pétur HAUKSSON (Icelander)
– Dajena POLLO (Albanian)
They were supported by Hugh CHETWYND (Head of Division) and Marco LEIDEKKER of the CPT’s Secretariat, and assisted by two experts: Andres LEHTMETS, Head of the Centre of Psychiatry, West – Tallinn Central Hospital, Estonia, and Alan MITCHELL, former Head of the Scottish Prison Health Care Service, United Kingdom.
The CPT’s previous report on its October 2006 visit to Ireland can be downloaded at:
http://www.cpt.coe.int/documents/irl/2007-40-inf-eng.htm#_Toc165257456