Human Rights Action (HRA) announced today that it has called on the Government of Montenegro to urgently publish the preliminary observations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) following the recent visit of its delegation to Montenegro, and to accept the automatic publication of CPT reports.
The NGO added that in a letter sent to the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić, it was emphasized that the CPT provides preliminary observations to states at the end of a visit, especially when it considers that there is a need for a rapid response, when it is important for the state to be immediately informed of the most urgent recommendations for the protection of human rights, in order to implement them as soon as possible.
"The CPT has always submitted such observations to representatives of the Government of Montenegro, and did so at the end of this visit. However, the public is not familiar with the entire observations, but only with the praise that the CPT sent to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Family and Demography in relation to the professional staff and professional approach in the institutions under their jurisdiction (Public Institution 'Ljubović', Public Institution 'Komanski most' and Public Institution 'Mladost' Children's Home in Bijela), which was the only one published by that ministry," the statement reads.
HRA said that in the letter they emphasize that the CPT's preliminary observations are of immediate general and specific public interest.
"They relate to closed institutions - prisons and the Special Psychiatric Hospital - places where people deprived of their liberty are particularly vulnerable to abuse. Given the two strikes by detainees at UIKS this year, and the serious problems at the Special Psychiatric Hospital in Dobrota, there is no justification for withholding information about urgent measures to improve the conditions in which these people are held from the public, especially at this historic moment for Montenegro, when it must prove its capacities to achieve EU membership," HRA said.
The NGO stated that the letter emphasized that the implementation of the CPT recommendations is the final benchmark in negotiating Chapter 23, therefore, their implementation is in the general interest of all citizens, while transparency in this process is crucial not only for institutional accountability, but also for citizens' trust in reforms in the field of human rights.
"The HRA recalled that the CPT in previous reports pointed to the failure to implement recommendations regarding the lack of effective safeguards against ill-treatment in police premises, the improper and prolonged use of restraints in the prison system, as well as chronic overcrowding and poor conditions in the psychiatric hospital in Dobrota. It is therefore necessary for the Government to publish the latest preliminary findings without delay, in order to avoid any further delay in resolving problems that have been the subject of criticism for years," the HRA statement said.
They also stated that in addition to the request for the publication of the CPT's preliminary findings, they called on the Government of Montenegro to make a decision on the automatic publication of future CPT reports, without the need for individual approval in relation to each report.
"The adoption of automatic publication would accelerate the process of publishing reports in 2026, contribute to strengthening public trust in the transparency of state administration, and mean harmonization with the best European practice of the 17 countries that have already adopted automatic publication," said HRA.
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