Hans-Jörg Bannwart re-elected to Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture
Bern, 27.10.2016 - Switzerland welcomes the re-election of Hans-Jörg Bannwart to the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) on Thursday 27 October 2016 for a second term of office.
Hans-Jörg Bannwart is a judge and also has many years of field experience, which he gained during his missions with the International Committee of the Red Cross. He was already a member of the SPT from 2013 to 2016. His successful re-election is an expression of international recognition for the excellent work he accomplished during his first term of office. His candidacy as an independent expert was supported by the FDFA. Switzerland is thus strengthening its presence in an important international human rights body.
The prevention of torture is one of the priorities of Swiss human rights policy. Together with Costa Rica, Switzerland provided the impetus for the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), which now has 82 states parties. The SPT is the international committee of OPCAT which monitors the conditions of detention and the treatment of detainees in the states parties. It also advises the states on the implementation of OPCAT and, in particular, supports the establishment and operation of national preventive mechanisms.
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