Procedure of Appointing Members of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture And Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Abstract

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) examines, through visits, the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty (Article 1 of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, 1987). CPT activity is based on two principles – cooperation and confidentiality. There are two types of visits, periodic visits and ad hoc visits. Without doubt, the CPT is one of the most important monitoring bodies in the area of interest of the Council of Europe. Due to the specifi c nature of its work it is worth to look at the members forming the Committee, as well as the legal rules of their appointment, the more so that these issues are not the subject of numerous studies in the doctrine, but are, however, important to the quality of the practical connotations of the operation of international law. The purpose of this discussion is to present the essence of CPT, the specific nature of its composition and the rules for appointing members, both at the national procedure (i.e. pre-selection), as well as on the international stage of the contest.