Sydney: A U.N. torture prevention panel ended its temporarily postponed visit to Australia, stating that it was still having trouble entering some of the nation's detention facilities.
The U.N. Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) stated on Monday that it could not determine a "reasonable timeframe" for a visit despite having requested a number of guarantees in order to resume its visit.
SPT Chairperson Suzanne Jabbour said in a statement that, "despite the good cooperation the Subcommittee has with the Australian federal authorities following our initial mission," the issue of unrestricted access to all places of deprivation of liberty in two states has not yet been resolved.
An email response from a representative for Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus stated that the Australian government "deeply regrets" the decision made by the U.N. panel.
"This is in spite of the fact that the SPT conducted successful visits to places of detention across nearly all Australian jurisdictions, and despite the progress made by Australia in responding to the SPT's concerns," it said.
SPT is permitted to conduct surprise visits to jails, police stations, and other detention facilities under an optional protocol against torture and other cruel and inhumane treatment, to which Australia is a signatory.
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Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, barred the panel from touring its prisons in October 2022, claiming that the state upheld high standards at its jails and that Australia was a sovereign nation. Next, Dreyfuss stated that the choice by New South Wales was disappointing.
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The United Nations delegation's 12-day visit was cut short when it was forbidden from visiting prisons in Queensland state. An inquiry from Reuters for comment was not immediately answered by the offices of the premiers of New South Wales and Queensland. Jabbour stated that the Australian authorities would be given a report based on what the panel had seen during its visit in October.
