The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published the report of its periodic visit to Croatia in September 2022, together with the response of the Croatian authorities (see executive summary in English - in Croatian) - Read the government response
During the visit, the CPT delegation examined the treatment and conditions of detention of prisoners held in four prison establishments, and of criminal suspects deprived of their liberty by the Croatian police. The delegation also visited three psychiatric establishments and two social care homes to assess the treatment of patients and residents.
The CPT report notes a marked improvement in the treatment of criminal suspects deprived of their liberty by the police since the previous visit in 2017. This can be attributed to the strengthening of legal safeguards following the 2019 amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure, such as the mandatory audio-video recording of police interviews. However, some allegations of physical ill-treatment by the police were received, mainly from criminal suspects of Roma ethnicity, consisting of punches, kicks and slaps inflicted upon arrest.
Concerning the situation in prisons, the CPT found that this is severely impacted by the significant increase in the prison population in recent years (notably in pre-trial detention), combined with the reduced capacity of the prison estate due to damage caused to certain establishments by the earthquake in 2020.
The conditions of detention found by the delegation, particularly in Zagreb Prison, were affected by severe overcrowding (for example, six prisoners in cells measuring 18 m2). The report is critical of the Croatian authorities' practice of providing prisoners with only 3 m2 of living space each, without offering significant outdoor access entitlements and a purposeful regime of activities. The CPT reiterates its position that the minimum living space for prisoners in multiple-occupancy cells should be at least 4 m2 per person, and that vigorous measures should be introduced at the national level to reduce the prison population to below the official capacity of the prison estate.
Croatia: "Marked improvement" in treatment of detained criminal suspects, but prison overcrowding a concern, among findings by expert group
The CPT and Croatia
