Amnesty International Report 2003 - Estonia

Covering events from January - December 2002

REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA
Head of state: Arnold Rüütel
Head of government: Siim Kallas
Death penalty: abolitionist for all crimes
International Criminal Court: ratified

There were concerns about conditions of detention and imprisonment. International treaty bodies made recommendations to strengthen safeguards against torture and ill-treatment and to prevent violence against women in the family.

Prison conditions

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) published in October the findings of its visits to Estonia in 1997 and 1999, which were dominated by concerns about the conditions of police detention and imprisonment. Conditions of detention were "extremely poor" in almost all of the eight establishments of police detention visited by the CPT in 1997, where "[m]ost of the cells seen were dirty, had little or no natural light and poor artificial lighting and ventilation, and were equipped with primitive and unhygienic sanitary facilities." Poor conditions were exacerbated by overcrowding, meagre dietary regimes and the absence of programs of activities. During follow-up visits to four establishments in December 1999 the CPT found that, despite certain efforts at improvement, conditions of detention remained generally unacceptable. Prison conditions were also poor, particularly in Central Prison in Tallin, where in 1997 the CPT found conditions of detention for remand prisoners "intolerable".

Alleged torture and ill-treatment

In November the UN Committee against Torture in Geneva considered Estonia's initial report, which was submitted over eight years late. The Committee expressed concern that "[i]solated cases of ill-treatment of detainees by officials still occur in police establishments" and recommended Estonia to "[e]nsure that law enforcement, judicial, medical and other personnel who are involved in custody, detention, interrogation, and treatment of detainees or psychiatric patients are trained with regard to the prohibition of torture". Recommendations were also made to strengthen the safeguards against torture and ill-treatment by ensuring that, in law as well as in practice, detainees have the right of access to a medical doctor of their choice, the right to notify a third person of their detention and access to legal counsel. The Committee recommended that Estonia continue renovating all detention facilities in order to ensure that they conform to international standards.

Violence against women

Estonia was scrutinized by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in January. Among the Committee's main concerns were acts of violence against women and girls, including domestic violence. The Committee urged Estonia to "place high priority on comprehensive measures to address violence against women in the family and in society" and recommended, among other things, that it introduce a specific law prohibiting domestic violence against women, prosecute and punish perpetrators of violence with the required speed and severity, and make available immediate means of redress and protection for the women victims of violence.