<
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/24/un-ends-australia-anti-torture-mission-after-inspectors-barred>
"The United Nations has suspended its anti-torture mission to Australia after
inspectors were not allowed to visit several jails and detention facilities in
the country, with a top official in New South Wales state justifying the
blocking of the UN panel.
Tasked with touring facilities under a voluntary agreement to prevent cruelty
to detainees, the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) said on Sunday
they made the “drastic” decision after they were refused entry at “several”
jails and detention facilities.
Australia’s prisons, youth detention centres, and immigration compounds have
been plagued by persistent allegations of human rights abuses. Rights groups
have raised concerns about the incarceration of Indigenous communities and the
detention of refugees in the country.
Australia ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture
(OPCAT) in 2017, committing to reforms safeguarding detainees and making
facilities subject to inspection.
Lead inspector Aisha Muhammad, a Supreme Court judge in the Maldives, said
Australia was in “clear breach” of its international obligations."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
