Optional Protocol to Convention against Torture: 63 States Parties (42 States Designated National Preventive
Mechanisms (NPM)
Excerpting by Carolyn Bennett
Second annual report of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture
and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment’s account of the
work of the SPT during the period of April 1, 2008-March 31, 2009
STATES PARTIES TO THE OPTIONAL
PROTOCOL TO THE CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE and other Cruel, Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) had 46 States parties and 62 signatories as of March 31, 2009
Participant Signature, Succession to signature (d); Ratification,
Accession (a), Succession (d)
Albania 1 Oct. 2003 (a)
Argentina 30 April 2003 15 Nov. 2004
Armenia 14 Sept. 2006 (a)
Austria 25 Sept. 2003
Azerbaijan 15 Sept. 2005 28 Jan. 2009
Belgium 24 Oct. 2005
Benin 24 Feb. 2005 20 Sept. 2006
Bolivia 22 May 2006 23 May 2006
Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 Dec. 2007 24 Oct. 2008
Brazil 13 Oct. 2003 12 Jan. 2007
Burkina Faso 21 Sept. 2005
Cambodia 14 Sept. 2005 30 March 2007
Chile 6 June 2005 12 Dec. 2008
The Congo 29 Sept. 2008
Costa Rica 4 Feb. 2003 1 Dec. 2005
Croatia 23 Sept. 2003 25 April 2005
Cyprus 26 July 2004
Czech Republic 13 Sept. 2004 10 July 2006
Denmark 26 June 2003 25 June 2004
Ecuador 24 May 2007
Estonia 21 Sept. 2004 18 Dec. 2006
Finland 23 Sept. 2003
France 16 Sept. 2005 11 Nov. 2008
Gabon 15 Dec. 2004
Georgia 9 Aug. 2005 (a)
Germany 20 Sept. 2006 4 Dec. 2008
Ghana 6 Nov. 2006
Guatemala 25 Sept. 2003 9 June 2008
Guinea 16 Sept. 2005
Honduras 8 Dec. 2004 23 May 2006
Iceland 24 Sept. 2003
Ireland 2 Oct. 2007
Italy 20 Aug. 2003
Kazakhstan 25 Sept. 2007 22 Oct. 2008
Kyrgyzstan 29 Dec. 2008
Lebanon 22 Dec. 2008 (a)
Liberia 22 Sept. 2004 (a)
Liechtenstein 24 June 2005 3 Nov. 2006
Luxembourg 13 Jan. 2005
CAT/C/42/2
Participant Signature, Succession to signature (d); Ratification,
Accession (a), Succession (d)
Madagascar 24 Sept. 2003
Maldives 14 Sept. 2005 15 Feb. 2006
Mali 19 Jan. 2004 12 May 2005
Malta 24 Sept. 2003 24 Sept. 2003
Mauritius 21 June 2005 (a)
Mexico 23 Sept. 2003 11 April 2005
Moldova 16 Sept. 2005 24 July 2006
Montenegro 23 Oct. 2006 (d) 6 March 2009
Netherlands 3 June 2005
New Zealand 23 Sept. 2003 14 March 2007
Nicaragua 14 March 2007 25 Feb. 2009
Norway 24 Sept. 2003
Paraguay 22 Sept. 2004 2 Dec. 2005
Peru 14 Sept. 2006 (a)
Poland 5 April 2004 14 Sept. 2005
Portugal 15 Feb. 2006
Romania 24 Sept. 2003
Senegal 4 Feb. 2003 18 Oct. 2006
Serbia 25 Sept. 2003 26 Sept. 2006
Sierra Leone 26 Sept. 2003
Slovenia 23 Jan. 2007 (a)
South Africa 20 Sept. 2006
Spain 13 April 2005 4 April 2006
Sweden 26 June 2003 14 Sept. 2005
Switzerland 25 June 2004
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
1 Sept. 2006 13 Feb. 2009
Timor-Leste 16 Sept. 2005
Togo 15 Sept. 2005
Turkey 14 Sept. 2005
Ukraine 23 Sept. 2005 19 Sept. 2006
United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland
26 June 2003 10 Dec. 2003
Uruguay 12 Jan. 2004 8 Dec. 2005
Note: The 46 States parties do not
include the 62 States having achieved signature or succession to signature, but
not having achieved ratification of, or accession or succession to, the OPCAT.
COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE Forty-second session, Geneva, April 27 to
May 15, 2009, http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/opcat/docs/2ndAnnualReportSPT.pdf
 |
Association for the
Prevention of Torture |
List of Designated National Preventive Mechanisms (by
country)
Country Ratification
Date NPM
Options
Albania 01
October 2003
People's
Advocate (Parliamentary Ombudsman or Avokati i Popullit)
Armenia
14
September 2006
Human
Rights Defender's Office
Azerbaijan
28 January
2009
Commissioner
for Human Rights (Ombudsperson's Office)
Cambodia 30
March 2007 Inter-governmental
body
Chile
12 December
2008
National
Human Rights Institute
Costa Rica 01
December 2005 Ombudsperson's Office
(La Defensoría de los Habitantes)
Croatia 25
April 2005 Ombudsperson’s Office
Cyprus
29 April
2009
The Office
of the Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman)
Czech Republic
10 July
2006
Public
Defender of Rights (Ombudsman)
Denmark
25 June
2004
Parliamentary
Commissioner for Civil and Military Administration (Folketingets Ombudsmand or
Ombudsman )
Ecuador 20
July 2010 Ombudsperson's Office
Estonia
18 December
2006
Office of
the Chancellor of Justice (Õiguskantsler or Ombudsman)
Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia
13 February
2009
Ombudsman
France
11 November
2008
General
Inspector of Places of Deprivation of Liberty (Contrôleur général des lieux de
privation de liberté)
Georgia
09 August
2005
Public
Defender
04 December
2008
National
Agency for the Prevention of Torture (Bundesstelle zur Verhütung von Folter)
and the Joint Commission of the Länder - to be established
Guatemala 09 June
2008 National Preventive Mechanism
(Mecanismo nacional de prevención de la tortura y otros malos tratos) – to be
established
Honduras
23 May 2006
National
Committee for the Prevention of Torture
Hungary 12
January 2012 Commissioner for
Fundamental Rights
Liechtenstein 03
November 2006
Corrections
Commission
Luxembourg
19 May 2010
Ombudsman
Maldives
15 February
2006
Human
Rights Commission of the Maldives
12 May 2005
National
Human Rights Commission (Commission nationale des droits de l’homme)
Malta
24
September 2003
Board of
Visitors for Detained Persons and Board of Visitors of the Prisons
Mauritius
21 June
2005
National
Human Rights Commission
Mexico 11
April 2005
National
Human Rights Comission (Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos)
Montenegro 06 March
2009 Protector on Human Rights
and Freedom
Netherlands 28 September
2010 6 bodies were designated as the
NPM (three national inspectorates on public order and security, youth care and
health care), a commission and a council, coordinated by the Inspectorate for
Implementation of Sanctions
New Zealand 14 March 2007
Multiple
body, 5 different bodies coordinated by the Human Rights Commission (central
NPM), and comprising the Office of the Ombudsman, the Independent Police
Conduct Authority, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and the Inspector
of Service Penal Establishments of the Office of the Judge Advocate General of
the Armed Forces
Nicaragua 25
February 2009 Ombudsperson's Office
(Procuraduría para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos)
Nigeria
27 July
2009
National
Committee on Torture - For further information
Paraguay 02
December 2005 National Commission for
the Prevention of Torture and other forms of ill-treatment – to be established
Poland
14
September 2005
Commissioner
for Civil Rights Protection (Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich)
Republic of Moldova
24 July
2006
National
Centre for Human Rights (Ombudsmen’s Office) and a Consultative Council (12
civil society representatives and independent experts)
Senegal
18 October
2006
National
Observer for Places of Deprivation of Liberty (Observateur National des Lieux
de Privation de Liberté)
Serbia 26 September
2006 Ombudsperson’s Office (Protector
of Citizens) in cooperation with the ombudsperson’s offices from the autonomous
provinces and human rights associations
Slovenia
23 January
2007
Human
Rights Ombudsperson's Office
Spain
04 April
2006
Ombudsperson's
Office (Defensoría del Pueblo) with a Consultative Council
Sweden 14
September 2005
Parliamentary
Ombudsman (Riksdagens Ombudsmän) and the Chancellor of Justice (Justitiekanslern)
Switzerland
24
September 2009
National
Commission for the Prevention of Torture
United Kingdom
10 December
2003
18 bodies
were designated as part of the UK NPM, coordinated by Her Majesty’s
Inspectorate of Prisons - Click for a complete list
Uruguay
08 December
2005
National
Human Rights Institution (Institución Nacional de Derechos Humanos) - to be
established
Who cares about torture?
WHERE IS THE USA?
___________________________________
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Greenwald suggests that “the only hope” for discussion of critical
issues facing the nation and related foreign relations is to allow inclusion in
televised presidential candidate debates and give media coverage to at least some
of the third-party candidates so that they will challenge the monopoly candidates
(DemR’pubs) who are wrapped in a conspiracy of silence on deeply critical issues
and their common positions on them.
