For persons held in police custody in Austria, the "vast majority" of detainees interviewed by a delegation of the Council of Europe's European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) made no allegations of ill-treatment, according to a CPT report published today. Furthermore, fundamental safeguards against ill-treatment, such as the right of notification of custody and rights of access to a lawyer and a doctor, appear to be generally well implemented, albeit those detained persons who cannot afford to pay for a lawyer cannot always have such counsel (see the executive summary of the report in English and German as well as the report in German).
The report - based on a CPT delegation visit to Austria in late 2021 - also reiterates the CPT's doubts as to whether investigations into allegations of police ill-treatment can be seen to be "fully independent and impartial." The CPT thus requests information on the setting up of an independent complaints authority.
The report furthermore raises concerns over the significant deterioration of "overall material conditions" for persons in detention pending deportation (Schubhaft) at the police detention centre (Polizeianhaltezentrum - PAZ) at Vienna-Hernalser Gürtel. Most parts of the accommodation and communal areas were in an appalling state of repair with corridors, cells and their sanitary annexes dilapidated and dirty. The report stresses that such conditions are not suitable for holding foreign nationals in Schubhaft for prolonged periods.
Austria and detention: While vast majority of detainees report no ill-treatment, a new report outlines some poor conditions and a shortage of health-care staff in prisons
