GENEVA, Switzerland, November 5, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN Committee against Torture is due to review Burundi on 11 and 12 November in sessions that will be webcast live.
Burundi is one of the 156 States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and is required to undergo regular examinations of its record before the Committee of 10 independent experts. The Committee will engage in a dialogue with the Burundian government delegation and also hear from NGOs.
Public sessions: 10:00-12:00 on 11 November, 15:00-17:00 on 12 November
Venue: Palais Wilson, Geneva
Live webcast: http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/.
Among the possible issues to be raised are: measures to address torture and extrajudicial killings by police and national intelligence service; fair trial guarantees, including access to a lawyer and medical care; arbitrary detention; the high number of cases of sexual abuse of women and minors, notably by police officers and soldiers; conditions of detention and prison overcrowding; and protection, justice and reparation for victims of torture.
Further information and Burundi’s report are available at: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=930&Lang=en. The Committee will publish its concluding observations here on Friday 28 November.
A news conference is scheduled for Friday 28 November at 14:00 at Palais des Nations in Geneva when the Committee will discuss its concluding observations on Burundi and the other countries being reviewed – Sweden, Ukraine, Venezuela, Australia, USA, Croatia, and Kazakhstan.
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