UN Committee on Roma in Hungary
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 11:12:37 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: UN Committee on Roma in Hungary
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: ERRC information service <[email protected]>
UN Committee on Roma in Hungary
Information service of the European Roma Rights Center
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PRESS STATEMENT - 20 NOVEMBER 1998
UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE CRITICISES DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF ROMA IN
DETENTION IN HUNGARY
The European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) welcomes the Conclusions and
Recommendations on Hungary issued this week by the United Nations
Committee against Torture (CAT), particularly the concerns expressed
regarding the disproportionate number of Romani detainees. Upon the
Conclusions' release, Dimitrina Petrova, Executive Director of the
ERRC, stated, "The Committee's conclusions underline the numerous
shortcomings in Hungary's police and detention practices, many of
which negatively affect Roma. Urgent action is required to bring
Hungary into compliance with its obligations under the Convention
against Torture."
The CAT is the United Nations treaty body charged with overseeing
compliance with the International Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Convention
was ratified by Hungary in 1987. Composed of ten
internationally-recognised experts, the CAT reviews state
implementation of the Convention through a procedure which obliges
governments to submit written reports on a periodic basis. The
November 1998 session marked the first time since 1993 that the
Committee has reviewed reports submitted by the Hungarian government.
In its Conclusions concerning Hungary, the CAT expressed "concern"
about what it termed "persistent reports that an inordinately high
proportion of detainees is roughly handled or treated cruelly before,
during and after interrogation by the Police and that a
disproportionate number of detainees and/or prisoners serving their
sentence are Roma." The Committee was "disturbed" by the reported
failure of prosecution authorities to initiate investigations in a
number of cases involving allegations of torture or inhuman and
degrading treatment. The Committee further noted with concern "reports
on conditions in prisons, detention centres and holding centres for
refugees such as [...] overcrowding, lack of exercise, education and
hygiene."
In view of these serious deficiencies, the Committee recommended that
the Hungarian government take "all necessary measures" to prevent and
punish official ill-treatment of detainees. Among its recommendations,
the Committee requested the government to:
* ensure prompt access to defence counsel;
* provide improved training to law enforcement officials to prevent
and eradicate torture and all acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment;
* include in its next report "all relevant statistics, data and
information" on the number of complaints about ill-treatment, the
proportion they represent in relation to the total number of cases
investigated, and, in particular, the proportion of detainees and
prisoners of Romani origin, and the proportion of complaints made by
Roma; and
* provide information concerning the number and proportion of cases
discontinued by prosecutors involving allegations of torture and
inhuman or degrading treatment; the reasons, if any, for such
discontinuance; and the measures taken to ensure the complete
impartiality and effectiveness of investigations of such allegations.
Earlier this month, the ERRC submitted written comments concerning
Hungary to the CAT. This document, together with the full text of the
CAT's Concluding Observations, is available from ERRC upon request.
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The ERRC is an international public interest law organisation which
monitors the situation of Roma in Europe and provides legal defence in
cases of human rights abuse. For more information, visit ERRC on the
web at http://errc.org
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