UN Committee Against Torture To Review Belgium

GENEVA (8 July 2021) — The UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) will hold its upcoming session from 12 to 30 July 2021 during which it will review Belgium.

The Committee, which has received the country report from Belgium, and submissions from non-governmental organisations as well as other stakeholders, will discuss five priority themes with the State delegation.

These are prevention and investigation of police violence; prison conditions, overpopulation in detention facilities and deaths in custody; investigation practices in anti-terrorism operations; principle and implementation of non-refoulement to ensure no one is returned to a country where they would face torture, cruel or inhuman treatment and punishment; repatriation of Belgian families from Syria and other conflict zones.

The public dialogue with Belgium will be held online and livecast on UN web TV on 15 and 16 July from 12:30 to 14:30 Geneva time.

After reviewing Belgium, the Committee will then focus on the consideration of 25 complaints submitted by individuals alleging violation of rights in nine countries.

More information about the CAT’s upcoming review of Belgium, including reports submitted by the State party, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders, is now available online.

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