The measures adopted by many European States to control migratory flows do not always conform to international law. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (CPT) has paid special attention to the treatment of migrants, as demonstrated by the composition of a number of standards with which States Parties to the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture must comply. Effective action in this context is indispensable for the prevention of torture in view of the warnings international institutions have issued to Italy regarding management of immigration. In addition to the often precarious conditions of the centres in which immigrants are held, in recent months there has been an additional problem in the form of rejection in the Sicilian Channel: right of asylum and refugee status are, in effect, being denied to people who meet the conditions of the 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees. Others are being sent back to places where there is a real risk that they will be tortured, in violation of the non-refoulement principle. The CPT’s extensive experience puts it in strong position to promote even more incisive action aimed at preventing the torture of immigrants and affording them additional protections that prevent them from being deprived of their liberty in conditions that amount to ill-treatment
