In a new report (French only) the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) raises a number of concerns about the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by the police, as well as prison overcrowding. The report follows a visit by the CPT from 19-28 March 2024, which focused on police and remand detention in four French-speaking cantons of Switzerland: Geneva, Fribourg, Valais and Vaud.
As regards the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by the police, the CPT once again received allegations of physical ill-treatment and excessive use of force, including biting by police dogs, truncheon blows, headbutts, punches and kicks, as well as violent tackling to the ground. These allegations came from foreign nationals, particularly at the time of their apprehension by the police in the cantons of Geneva, Valais and Vaud. The alarming volume of allegations of deliberate ill-treatment, particularly in the canton of Geneva, suggests that police violence is a persistent practice. Resolute measures should be taken to better prevent and effectively combat this phenomenon.The Committee regrets that its long-standing recommendations on safeguards against ill-treatment at the time of apprehension have not been implemented.
In its report, the CPT also recommends that effective measures be taken to prosecute police officers implicated in acts of ill-treatment, to review police interview methods, including the generalisation of audio-visual recording, and to prevent the use of fixation in a police context.
Prison overcrowding remains a major problem in the prisons visited in French-speaking Switzerland, particularly in the cantons of Geneva and Vaud. At the time of the visit, the occupancy rate at Bois-Mermet Prison had reached 166%, while that at Champ-Dollon Prison was 132%. The effects of overcrowding are deplorable, affecting the conditions of detention of persons on remand and the working conditions of staff. A global strategy to reduce the prison population should be implemented, involving all actors in the penal chain.
The Committee once again calls on all the Swiss cantonal authorities to review the rules concerning the drastic restrictions on contact with the outside world and the lack of activities for remand prisoners, who often spend up to 23 hours a day in their cells. The cantons of Fribourg, Valais and Vaud should also review the rules governing the maximum duration of disciplinary solitary confinement.
In their response to the report, the Swiss authorities provide detailed information on the recommendations made by the CPT. The report has been published together with the Swiss authorities' response (French only). Read the executive summary
Anti-torture committee concerned about police practices and prison overcrowding in Switzerland
