GENEVA (23 October 2026) – UN torture prevention
experts will visit Paraguay from 25 October to 3 November
2026 to assess measures taken by the authorities to
strengthen anti-torture safeguards since their previous
visits, and to examine their impact on protection of people
in detention.
The UN
Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) will
undertake its third visit to Paraguay, following an initial
visit in 2009 and a follow-up mission in 2010.
“We
return to Paraguay in the constructive spirit that guides
the work of the SPT,” said Marco Feoli Villalobos, Head of
the SPT delegation.
The SPT delegation will visit
places where people are or may be deprived of their liberty,
and conduct confidential interviews with detainees, other
people deprived of liberty, and staff working in these
facilities. Particular attention will be paid to the
implementation of the Subcommittee’s recommendations
following its 2010 visit, as well as to developments and
challenges that have emerged since then.
The
delegation will also meet with Paraguayan authorities, the
national monitoring body known as the National Preventive
Mechanism (NPM) and other stakeholders to assess the
progress made by the authorities in preventing torture
through legislative, policy, administrative and other
measures. Where appropriate, the delegation will also
conduct joint visits with the NPM.
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“Sixteen years
have passed since our last mission. This is an important
opportunity not only to examine conditions in places of
detention and other facilities, but also to foster an
ongoing dialogue with the authorities, civil society and
other stakeholders,” Feoli Villalobos said.
“We
aim to contribute to a shared effort to prevent torture and
protect the rights of people deprived of their liberty in
settings as diverse as psychiatric hospitals, State-run
juvenile detention centers, and penal institutions, among
others,” he added.
Paraguay ratified the Optional
Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) in
2005 and in 2011 established its NPM, which is functionally
independent and comprises six commissioners and a technical
team. Under its mandate, the SPT may conduct visits to
States Parties and carry out unannounced visits to any place
where people are or may be deprived of their
liberty.
Following the visit, the SPT will share a
confidential report with the State Party, containing its
observations and recommendations. The report will remain
confidential unless and until the Paraguayan Government
decides to make it public, as was the case with the reports
following the 2009
and 2010
visits.
The SPT delegation will comprise Marco Feoli
Villalobos, Head of delegation (Costa Rica), Marie Brasholt
(Denmark), Carmen Comas-Mata (Spain), and Juan Pablo Vegas
(Peru). The experts will be supported by two members of the
Secretariat.
