Presentation of Manfred Nowak at the international conference "Post Socialist Justice After Two Decades", October 11-12, 2012, in Riga More information www.lawandjustice.lv

1. The Post-Socialist Legal Space:
Perceptions and Practices of Justice
Administration of Criminal Justice:
Conclusions from comparative statistics in
the OSCE region
Conference: Post-Socialist Justice After Two Decades
Stockholm School of Economics in Riga - Riga, 11 October 2012
Manfred Nowak
Professor of International Law and Human Rights, University of Vienna
Director, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights, Vienna
Former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture (2004 – 2010)

2. Overview
1. Maps & Statistics on the Prison Situation within the OSCE region
2. Council of Europe – European Court of Human Rights
3. United Nations – Human Rights Committee
4. European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment (CPT)
5. Death Penalty
6. UN Special Rapporteur on Torture (2004 – 2010)
7. Conclusion

3. 1. Maps & Statistics on the Prison Situation within the OSCE region
- 10 out of the 25 States with the highest number of prisoners are OSCE States
- 42% of the world prison population from OSCE countries (compared to 18 % of overall world
population)
- OSCE States (US, Russia, Georgia, …) among those with the highest prison population rates in the
world
- Overcrowding of prisons: only 8 OSCE States have a prison occupancy rate of less than 80% (e.g.
Central Asian States)
Sources:
- World Prison Brief (http://www.prisonstudies.org/info/worldbrief/; retrieved 20/2/2012)
- UN Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision
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4. PRISON SITUATION

5. United States of America (1)* 2,266,832
Russian Federation (3)* 755,600
Ukraine (10)* 157,866
Turkey (12)* 127,831
United Kingdom (16)* 86,919
Poland 81,382
France 73,149
Spain 70,414
Germany 69,697
Italy 68,047
Kazakhstan 52,464
Uzbekistan 42,000
Canada 39,099
Belarus 36,533
Romania 30,810
Georgia 24,187
Czech Republic 23,435
Azerbaijan 20,470
Hungary 16,328
Netherlands 14,488
Portugal 12,918
Serbia 12,000
Greece 11,364
Turkmenistan 10,935
Belgium 10,561
Slovakia 10,031
Kyrgyzstan 9,828
Tajikistan 9,317
Lithuania 9,139
Bulgaria 5 9,071

6. 6

7. United States of America 730
Georgia 539
Russian Federation 529
Belarus 381
Ukraine 347
Greenland (Denmark) 340
Kazakhstan 323
Latvia 314
Lithuania 276
Estonia 252
Azerbaijan 228
Montenegro 227
Turkmenistan 224
Czech Republic 222
Poland 213
Slovakia 184
Moldova (Republic of) 182
Kyrgyzstan 181
Turkey 171
Serbia 164
Hungary 163
Uzbekistan c.153
Spain 152
Albania 147
Armenia 146
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8. United Kingdom 146
Romania 144
Malta 141
Tajikistan 130
Luxembourg 124
Portugal 121
Bulgaria 120
Canada 117
Croatia 117
Macedonia (former Yugoslav Republic of) 114
Italy 112
France 111
Cyprus (Republic of) 110
Austria 104
Greece 101
Belgium 97
Ireland, Republic of 95
Netherlands 87
Germany 86
Switzerland 79
Sweden 78
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Republika Srpska 75
Denmark 74
Andorra 73
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Federation 73
Norway 73
Monaco 70
Slovenia 64
Finland 59
Iceland 47
Liechtenstein 19
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9. 9

10. 10

11. 11

12. 12

13. 13

14. 14

15. 15

16. 2. Council of Europe – European Court of Human Rights
- Relating only to 47 member States of the Council of Europe (not US, Canada, Belarus, Central
Asian States)
- Statistics about relevant cases
- Judgments in 2011 finding violations of Articles 2, 3, 5, 6, 13 ECHR
Source: European Court of Human Rights, Annual Report 2011 and Facts and Figures 2011, 50 Years of Activity – The European Court of Human Righz
(available at http://www.echr.coe.int/ECHR/Homepage_EN)
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17. 17

18. 18

19. 19

20. ECtHR - Violations Judgments by States in 2011
(174)
(133)
(105)
(73)
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21. ECtHR - Violations by Article and by State in 2011
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22. 22

23. 23

24. 24

25. 25

26. 26

27. 27

28. 28

29. 29

30. 3. United Nations – Human Rights Committee
- Out of 167 States parties to the CCPR 114 are parties to the 1st Optional Protocol (individual
complaints procedure)
- All OSCE countries are parties to the CCPR.
- Within the OSCE region Monaco, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America
have not ratified the 1st OP
- Views finding violations of Articles 2, 6, 7, 10 and 14 CCPR
Source: CPT, General Report 2011 (available at http://www.cpt.coe.int/en/annual/rep-21.pdf)
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31. States Parties to CCPR and Optional Protocols Human Rights Committee
Status of Country CCPR OP 1 OP 2 Lithuania 1991 1991 2002
ratification of Luxembourg 1983 1983 1992
CCPR within Albania 1991 2007 2007 Malta 1990 1990 1994
OSCE Andorra 2006 2006 2006 Monaco 1997 2000
Armenia 1993 1993 Montenegro 2006 2006 2006
CCPR 55* Austria 1978 1987 1993 Netherlands 1978 1978 1991
Azerbaijan 1992 2001 1999 Norway 1972 1972 1991
OP 1 51 Belarus 1973 1992 Poland 1977 1991
OP 2 47 Belgium 1983 1994 1998 Portugal 1978 1983 1990
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1993 1995 2001 Republic of Moldova 1993 2008 2006
* Holy See did not ratify Bulgaria 1970 1992 1999
CCPR
Romania 1974 1993 1991
Canada 1976 1976 2005 Russian Federation 1973 1991
Croatia 1992 1995 1995 San Marino 1985 1985 2004
Cyprus 1969 1992 1999 Serbia 2001 2001 2001
Czech Republic 1993 1993 2004 Slovakia 1993 1993 1999
Denmark 1972 1972 1994 Slovenia 1992 1993 1994
Estonia 1991 1991 2004 Spain 1977 1985 1991
Finland 1975 1975 1991 Sweden 1971 1971 1990
France 1980 1984 2007 Switzerland 1992 1994
Georgia 1994 1994 1999 Tajikistan 1999 1999
Germany 1973 1993 1992 The former Yugoslav Republic
Greece 1997 1997 1997 of Macedonia 1994 1994 1995
Hungary 1974 1988 1994 Turkey 2003 2006 2006
Iceland 1979 1979 1991 Turkmenistan 1997 1997 2000
Ireland 1989 1989 1993 Ukraine 1973 1991 2007
Italy 1978 1978 1995 United Kingdom of Great
Kazakhstan 2006 2009 Britain and Northern Ireland 1976 1999
Kyrgyzstan 1994 1994 2010 United States of America 1992
Latvia 1992 1994 Uzbekistan 1995 1995 2008
Liechtenstein 1998 1998 1998
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32. CCPR Communications dealt with from 2003 to 2010 Human Rights Committee
New cases Cases Pending cases at 31
Year registered concludeda December 2010
2010 96 83 444
2009 68 76 431
2008 87 88 439
2007 206 47 455
2006 96 109 296
2005 106 96 309
2004 100 78 299
2003 88 89 277
a Total number of cases decided (by the adoption of Views, inadmissibility decisions and decisions to discontinue consideration).
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33. Views finding violations in relation to CCPR Articles
Human Rights Committee
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34. Views finding violations in relation to States
Human Rights Committee
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35. CCPR - Violations by Article and by State (2009 – 2011)
Human Rights Committee
Effective Remedy and Non-
Discrimination (Art 2 CCPR)
35

36. CCPR - Violations by Article and by State (2009 – 2011)
Human Rights Committee
Right to Life (Art 6 CCPR)
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37. CCPR - Violations by Article and by State (2009 – 2011)
Human Rights Committee
Prohibition of Torture or Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Art 7 CCPR)
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38. CCPR - Violations by Article and by State (2009 – 2011)
Human Rights Committee
Right to liberty and security of persons
(Art 9 CCPR)
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39. CCPR - Violations by Article and by State (2009 – 2011)
Human Rights Committee
Humane treatment of persons deprived of
liberty (Art 10 CCPR)
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40. CCPR - Violations by Article and by State (2009 – 2011)
Human Rights Committee
Administration of Justice (Art 14 CCPR)
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41. 4. European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)
- 1990-2011: 315 visits (191 periodic visits + 124 ad hoc visits)
- 264 CPT reports published (Russian Federation: only 1 report published out of 18)
Source: CPT, General Report 2011 (available at http://www.cpt.coe.int/en/annual/rep-21.pdf)
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42. CPT
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43. 5. Death Penalty
- Europe as a death penalty free zone (except Belarus, Abkhazia, Transnistria)
- Central Asia: recent abolition of capital punishment in Uzbekistan (for all crimes, 2008);
Kyrgyzstan (for all crimes; 2007); Kazakhstan (for ordinary crimes, 2007); Turkmenistan (for all
crimes, 1999); Tajikistan (abolitionist in practice: no execution in the past ten years)
- USA: retentionist
Source: Amnesty International, Death Sentences and Executions Report 2010
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44. 44

45. 6. UN Special Rapporteur on Torture (2004 – 2010)
- 18 Fact-Finding Missions
- 5 Fact-Finding Missions to OSCE Countries (Georgia, Denmark & Greenland, Moldova, Kazakhstan,
Greece)
- Joint UN Reports on Guantanamo Bay and Secret Detention in the Context of Countering Terrorism
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46. FACT-FINDING MISSIONS – OVERVIEW
Denmark &
Greenland Moldova Greece (Russia) Georgia Jordan
May 08 July 08 Oct. 10 Oct. 06 Feb. 05 June 06
Kazakhstan
May 09
(Cuba) Mongolia
Autumn 10 June 05
Guantanamo China
Feb. 06 Nov. 05
Jamaica Nepal
Feb. 10 Sept. 05
Paraguay Papua New Guinea
Nov. 06 May 10
Uruguay Indonesia
March 09 Nov. 07
Sri Lanka
Oct. 07
Sudan Togo Nigeria Equatorial Guinea (Zimbabwe)
Oct. 06 April 07 March 07 Nov. 08 Oct. 09

47. Special Rapporteur on Torture:
FACT-FINDING MISSIONS IN OSCE COUNTRIES
- Georgia (February 2005): routine practice of torture, bad prison conditions, death
penalty in Abkhazia
- Denmark and Greenland (May 2008): no torture, high standards of detention
- Moldova (July 2008): widespread ill-treatment and isolated torture, bad prison
conditions, death penalty in Transnistria
- Kazakhstan (May 2009): routine torture and ill-treatment, improved prison
conditions, extensive preparation for visit by Special Rapporteur
- Greece (October 2010): isolated cases of torture, bad conditions of detention (in
particular migration detention facilities

48. 7. CONCLUSION
‣ Prison crisis in the OSCE: disproportionally high number of prisoners, both in absolute and relative
terms; overcrowding; in many countries continuing practice of torture and inhuman prison
conditions
‣ Strong reliance on retributive justice and malfunctioning of administration of justice (corruption,
being „tough on crime“, excessive length of proceedings) as main reasons for torture and prison
crisis
‣ Undermining of the rule of law in the fight against terrorism (secret detention, torture, illegal
rendition flights, unfair trials)
‣ Significant disparities between best practice (e.g. Denmark) and serious violations of international
human rights law
‣ Unproportionally high percentage of violations of the CCPR found in relation to post-Soviet States
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49. Thank you for your attention!
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