Brazil: Launching a three-year project to maximise the preventive impact of custody hearings
(WorldNews Switzerland)

The APT recently launched a three-year project* to maximise the potential of custody hearings as a practical tool to prevent torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Three Brazilian states - Alagoas, Mato Grosso and Rio de Janeiro - were chosen to pilot the first phase of the project, which includes monitoring custody hearings and strengthening the capacity of judges. Gradually introduced in the country since February 2015, custody hearings have a strong potential to prevent torture and ill-treatment. Indeed, they allow for detainees to be presented before a judge within the first 24...