GENEVA, 16 April: The Special UN Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak, will undertake a visit to Denmark from 2 to 10 May, at the invitation of the Danish Government.
In order to gather first-hand information in relation to his mandate, Mr. Nowak will meet with Government Ministers and officials; national human rights institutions, and representatives of non-governmental organizations, among others. He will also visit places where persons are deprived of their liberty.
Mr. Nowak will submit a report, including his conclusions and recommendations relating to his visit, to the Human Rights Council.
As at the end of the visit, there will be a press conference on the Special Rapporteur’s findings. It will be held on 9 May 2008, premises not yet confirmed.
Mr. Nowak was appointed Special Rapporteur on 1 December 2004 by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. As Special Rapporteur, he is independent from any government and serves in his individual capacity.
The Commission first decided to appoint a special rapporteur to examine questions relevant to torture in 1985. The mandate, since assumed under the UN Human Rights Council, covers all countries, whether or not they have ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Mr. Nowak has previously served as member of the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances; the UN expert on missing persons in the former Yugoslavia; the UN expert on legal questions on enforced disappearances; and as a judge at the Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He is Professor of Constitutional Law and Human Rights at the University of Vienna, and Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights.
For further information on the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, please visit the website: www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/torture/rapporteur/index.htm
Árni Snævarr, Information Officer for the Nordic Countries, UN Regional Information Centre, UNRIC, Rue de la Loi 155, 1040 Brussels, Tel: 0032 2 788 84 67, Mob:
0032 4 97458088, Fax: 0032 2 788 8485
