A delegation of the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) carried out an ad hoc visit to Turkey from 4 to 13 April 2018.

“The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment and living conditions of patients/residents in psychiatric hospitals and social welfare institutions. In addition, the CPT’s delegation looked into the legal safeguards related to involuntary placement procedures and their implementation in practice.”

CPT said that on the occasion of the visit, the delegation also raised with the relevant authorities certain issues related to the current situation of Abdullah Öcalan and the other prisoners being held at Imralı F-type High-Security Prison, in particular as regards the prisoners’ contact with the outside world.

At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary observations to the Turkish authorities.