The Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) conducts periodic visits to places of detention in each Member State. On 30 April, the Committee published the report of a visit it undertook to Spain between 31 May and 13 June 2011 to review prison and detention conditions in the country. The detailed response of the Spanish Government to the CPT report was also published at the same time. The visit was the sixth such one to Spain. It involved, at central level, meetings with the Minister of the Interior and representatives of law enforcement, prison services and the courts as well as visits to police centres, Guardia Civil centres, prison establishments and detention centres. It also included similar meetings and visits to establishments under the control of the Autonomous Regional Government of Catalonia and visits to the General Headquarters and Police Academy of the Autonomous Regional Government of the Basque Country. The report notes that the CPT delegation received excellent cooperation from the Spanish authorities throughout the visit.
