The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) released its annual report for 2025 on April 10, detailing findings from visits to detention facilities across member states and highlighting persistent concerns over inhumane treatment, overcrowding, and inadequate medical care in prisons and police custody.
The report, published by the Strasbourg-based human rights monitoring body, covers activities conducted between January and December 2024, with the CPT carrying out 12 periodic and ad hoc visits to countries including Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Delegates interviewed over 1,200 individuals deprived of liberty and inspected conditions in police stations, pre-trial detention centers, psychiatric hospitals, and immigration holding facilities.
According to the CPT’s findings, systemic issues remain widespread, particularly in facilities managing migration flows and those operating under states of emergency. The committee noted that while some states have implemented prior recommendations, progress has been uneven, and in several cases, conditions have deteriorated due to understaffing, outdated infrastructure, and insufficient investment in mental health services.
The annual report serves as a critical tool for holding governments accountable under the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. It also feeds into broader mechanisms of the Council of Europe, including the European Court of Human Rights, which often cites CPT findings in its judgments.
Key Findings from the 2025 CPT Report
One of the most pressing concerns highlighted in the report is the continued use of prolonged solitary confinement, especially for vulnerable populations such as minors, foreign nationals, and individuals with psychosocial disabilities. In Bulgaria, the CPT observed that juveniles in pre-trial detention were frequently held in isolation for up to 22 hours a day, with minimal access to education or outdoor exercise — a practice the committee described as “potentially amounting to inhuman treatment” under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
In Ukraine, despite ongoing conflict-related pressures, the CPT acknowledged efforts by authorities to maintain basic standards in certain detention sites but reported severe overcrowding in temporary holding facilities near frontline zones, where detainees sometimes lacked access to clean water, functioning toilets, or timely medical screening. The delegation urged the government to prioritize the transfer of individuals to official penal institutions equipped for longer-term custody.
Romania received criticism for persistent deficiencies in psychiatric hospitals, where the CPT found evidence of inappropriate use of physical restraints, locked wards without judicial oversight, and inadequate staff training in de-escalation techniques. The committee reiterated its call for Romania to align its mental health legislation with international standards and to complete the practice of placing individuals in psychiatric facilities solely due to lack of social support.
Georgia was noted for measurable improvements in police custody procedures since the CPT’s last visit in 2022, including better record-keeping of detainee transfers and increased access to legal counsel during initial questioning. However, concerns remained about the use of force during arrests and the need for independent investigation mechanisms to address allegations of ill-treatment by law enforcement officers.
Methodology and Monitoring Approach
The CPT operates under a mandate to conduct unannounced visits to any place where individuals are deprived of their liberty by public authority. Its methodology combines confidential interviews with detainees, direct observation of facilities, review of institutional records, and private discussions with government officials, judicial authorities, and oversight bodies such as national preventive mechanisms (NPMs).
All findings are communicated confidentially to the concerned government, which is then given an opportunity to respond before the report is made public. The 2025 annual report summarizes these confidential exchanges and highlights both progress and shortcomings observed across the visits conducted in 2024.
The committee emphasized that its work is preventive in nature — aiming not to punish past abuses but to identify systemic risks and recommend concrete, actionable improvements. Recommendations range from revising national legislation and training protocols to improving access to healthcare, ensuring effective complaint mechanisms, and guaranteeing judicial oversight of coercive measures.
Impact and Follow-Up Mechanisms
While the CPT lacks enforcement power, its reports carry significant moral and political weight. Member states are expected to respond to the committee’s observations within a specified timeframe and to implement changes that address the identified deficiencies. Failure to do so may lead to increased scrutiny from other Council of Europe bodies, including the Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of Ministers.
In several cases, CPT recommendations have directly influenced national reforms. For example, following the committee’s 2023 findings on immigration detention in Greece, the government revised its procedures for assessing vulnerability and increased access to legal aid for asylum seekers in holding centers. Similarly, in Moldova, repeated CPT concerns about police custody led to the adoption of a new law regulating the use of force and mandating video recording in interrogation rooms.
The 2025 report also underscores the growing importance of cooperation between the CPT and national preventive mechanisms established under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT). As of early 2025, 30 of the 46 Council of Europe member states had designated or were in the process of establishing NPMs, creating a complementary layer of monitoring at the national level.
Challenges and Limitations
The CPT acknowledged several constraints affecting its effectiveness, including limited access to certain facilities in times of crisis, delays in receiving official responses to confidential reports, and uneven implementation of recommendations across different regions within the same country. In some instances, local authorities have reportedly resisted external scrutiny, citing sovereignty concerns or operational challenges.
Funding and resource limitations also persist. Whereas the CPT operates under the Council of Europe’s budget, delegates noted that increasing demand for visits — particularly in conflict-affected and post-conflict settings — has stretched its capacity. The committee called for sustained political support and adequate financing to ensure it can continue fulfilling its mandate impartially, and effectively.
Despite these challenges, the CPT remains one of the few international bodies with systematic access to places of detention across Europe. Its unique role lies in combining humanitarian engagement with rigorous, evidence-based monitoring to promote dignity and safety for some of the most vulnerable individuals in society.
What Happens Next?
The CPT’s next scheduled activity is a follow-up visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina in September 2025, focusing on conditions in psychiatric institutions and the treatment of individuals with intellectual disabilities in social care facilities. This visit was confirmed in the committee’s programme of activities published on its official website in March 2025.
Governments involved in the 2024 visits are expected to submit their official responses to the CPT’s confidential reports by mid-June 2025. These responses will be reviewed by the committee and may influence the content of future public statements or recommendations.
For those seeking official updates, the CPT maintains a transparent online portal where all country visit reports, government responses, and thematic publications are made available after the confidentiality period ends. The committee also publishes periodic newsletters and engages with civil society organizations through outreach initiatives aimed at raising awareness about the prevention of torture.
As global attention turns toward strengthening accountability in law enforcement and detention systems, the work of the CPT continues to serve as a vital benchmark for human rights compliance in Europe and beyond. Its annual report not only documents where systems fall short but also offers a roadmap for reform grounded in dialogue, expertise, and respect for human dignity.
We encourage readers to explore the full 2025 CPT report and related materials on the official Council of Europe CPT website to stay informed about ongoing developments and to understand how these findings contribute to the broader fight against torture and inhuman treatment.