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.
Related items:
- Liberties EU Rule of Law Report 2025
- Irish Times: Overcrowded prisons and breaches of human rights
- Office of the Inspector of Prisons Annual Report 2023 published
- The Mick Clifford Podcast, Irish Examiner: Is it time to find an alternative to prison? - Saoirse Brady
- The Echo Chamber podcast: Imprisonment as a Last Resort
