On Monday, 10 November at 13:00, room W-20, Lətif HÜSEYNOV, President the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) will give a public lecture about the work of the organisation. Lecture is organised in the framework of the Master course "Changing European Human Rights Law". Lecture is open for external participants.
The CPT was set up under the Council of Europe’s “European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment”, which came into force in 1989. It builds on Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights which provides that “No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. Both Conventions have been ratified by all the 47 member States of the Council of Europe.
The CPT is not an investigative body, but provides a non-judicial preventive mechanism to protect persons deprived of their liberty against torture and other forms of ill-treatment. It thus complements the judicial work of the European Court of Human Rights. The CPT organises visits to places of detention, in order to assess how persons deprived of their liberty are treated. These places include prisons, juvenile detention centres, police stations, holding centres for immigration detainees, psychiatric hospitals, social care homes, etc.
Lətif HÜSEYNOV is the President of the CPT, elected to that post for the second term.
Mr Latif Hüseynov was born on 1 February 1964 in Azerbaijan. Graduated in 1986 from Kiev State University, International Law faculty.
In February-November 1998 was a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Foreign Public Law and International Law (Heidelberg, Germany), and in February-July 1997 –a visiting scholar at the Swiss Institute for Comparative Law (Lausanne, Switzerland).
Since July 2002: Professor of Public International Law at Baku State University (Azerbaijan).
Since March 2011: President of the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). In January 2010 and March 2005 was appointed as ad hoc judge at the European Court of Human Rights. Since December 2003: member of the Venice Commission, Council of Europe (European Commission for Democracy through Law). In 2001-2007 was a member of the Council of Europe Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).
In 2008-2014 was a member of the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee. In 2011-2012 was Chairman of this Committee. In February-August 2013 was a member of the UN Working Group on Communications. In 2004-2005 served as UN Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan.
Author of more than 50 publications in the field of International Human Rights Law, International Criminal Law and International Responsibility.
(UN Photo/Pierre Albouy)