Prevention of torture in police custody and during criminal investigations at the centre of workshop co-organized by OSCE/ODIHR in Vienna
The important role of procedural safeguards in the prevention of torture and other ill-treatment in police custody and during criminal investigations, as well as a discussion on developing a universal set of standards for non-coercive interview and evidence-gathering methods, were the focus of a workshop held in Vienna on 28 March 2017.
Delegates from 36 OSCE participating States attended the event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the OSCE and the Geneva-based inter-governmental organization Convention against Torture Initiative (CTI).
“The vast majority of torture cases take place in the early stages of police custody and during investigations, including the interrogation of suspects,” said Stephanie Selg, ODIHR Adviser on Torture Prevention. “There is no doubt that the risk of torture drops significantly when procedural safeguards are respected.”
Reviewing domestic interrogation rules and practices, developing crime-investigation methods to move away from sole reliance on confessions for securing convictions, and excluding torture-tainted evidence from any proceedings are essential in the fight against torture, she said, adding that ODIHR stands ready to assist OSCE participating States in these efforts.
“Upholding the highest standards with regard to the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is crucial to ensuring comprehensive security in our region,” said Liselotte Plesner, Denmark’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE. “In 1990, in Copenhagen, we as OSCE participating States committed ourselves to keeping interrogation rules, instructions, methods and practices under systematic review. This workshop provides an excellent opportunity to re-emphasize this commitment by discussing new developments and good practices from the OSCE region."
The event highlighted practical experiences of law-enforcement agencies in using procedural safeguards to improve the effectiveness of criminal investigations and prosecution, as well as, in some instances, to protect the police against false accusations of abuse.
“This workshop brings us one step closer towards one of the objectives of the CTI: universal implementation of the UN Convention against Torture,” said Alice Edwards, Head of the CTI Secretariat. “It has also been another important occasion to partner with the OSCE in this field.”
The workshop was supported by Austria’s 2017 OSCE Chairmanship, and the French, German, Norwegian, Swiss and UK governments.