The Government wants to strengthen the prevention of torture

The Government wishes to ratify the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture. “This will strengthen efforts to prevent torture,” commented Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide. 

The objective of the Protocol is to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment through a system of regular visits to places of detention, including prisons, police detention cells, psychiatric institutions and child welfare institutions. 

The Government proposes that the Parliamentary Ombudsman is designated as the national preventive mechanism. 

“The Parliamentary Ombudsman has long experience of supervising public administration agencies and has a high degree of credibility and legitimacy,” said Mr Eide. 

The Government also proposes that an advisory committee is established to ensure that civil society has the opportunity to take part in this work. 

The Optional Protocol was adopted on 18 December 2002, signed by Norway on 24 September 2003, and came into force on 22 June 2006. A total of 65 states are party to the Protocol. 

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security aims to present a bill to the Storting (Norwegian parliament) proposing amendments to the Parliamentary Ombudsman Act and instructions during the spring of 2013.