Belgium ratifies the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT), Ireland now last in EU to ratify
20th May 2024
Belgium has ratified the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT). Their National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) was established just 10 days after passing legislation.
Ireland is now the only EU country without a law to create a NPM.
The Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) is an international human rights treaty which assists States in preventing torture and other ill-treatment in places of detention. Ireland signed OPCAT in 2007 but has yet to ratify it.
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- Prison Visiting Committee Annual Reports 2023
- UN COMMITTEE CLEAR THAT THE STATE MUST TAKE URGENT ACTION TO ADDRESS ISSUES AROUND WOMEN IN PRISON
- Liberties EU Rule of Law Report 2025
- Irish Times: Overcrowded prisons and breaches of human rights
