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UK NPM statement on the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) report: Scotland

Published:

The UK NPM welcomes the findings of the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), who visited Scotland in June 2025 for an ad hoc, unannounced visit focussing on the treatment of men, women and children in prisons, police custody and secure care. The visit followed two previous visits to Scotland in 2018 and 2019.

See the CPT’s full report, and Scottish Government response: Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on the United Kingdom, focusing on police and prisons in Scotland – CPT

The UK NPM has issued a statement on 2 July, outlining areas of progress and repeated recommendations. We encourage the Scottish Government and duty bearers to take swift and decisive action on the CPT’s recommendations, before priorities move on, so that they do not end up in the cycle of continuously repeated recommendations.

Read the UK NPM’s statement: UK NPM statement on the Committee for the Prevention of Torture’s (CPT) report on their ad hoc Visit to Scotland in June 2025

Rachel Lindsay, Chair of the UK NPM, said:

“I thank the CPT for its detailed report and constructive recommendations. The UK NPM is grateful for the continued support in scrutiny from our international partners. While the CPT recognised progress made in several areas of deprivation of liberty in Scotland, there is still much work to do to ensure an acceptable standard of treatment and conditions for people deprived of their liberty. The UK NPM will reflect on the full report and how we can continue to support necessary changes in all detention settings, as part of our mandate under OPCAT.”

Rosemary Agnew, Chair of the UK NPM Scotland Subgroup, on which she represents the Scottish Human Rights Commission, said:

“The UK NPM Scotland Subgroup closely monitors progress on recommendations made by the CPT, alongside our own recommendations. We are pleased to see that progress has been made in many areas, and hope that duty bearers will continue to build on these developments by acting quickly and boldly on the CPT’s most recent recommendations. The findings in the CPT’s report demonstrate the value of independent scrutiny in promoting improved treatment and conditions for people deprived of their liberty.”