Human Rights Action (HRA) has called on the Government of Montenegro to urgently publish the preliminary observations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) following the recent visit of its delegation to Montenegro, and to accept the automatic publication of CPT reports.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Spajić, it was emphasized that the CPT provides States with preliminary observations at the end of its visit, particularly when it considers that there is a need for swift action and when the State needs to be immediately informed of the most urgent recommendations for the protection of human rights, so that they can be implemented as soon as possible. The CPT has always provided such observations to representatives of the Government of Montenegro, and it did so at the conclusion of this visit as well.

However, the public has not been informed about the full set of observations, but only about the praise addressed to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography regarding the professional staff and the professional conduct in the institutions under its authority (JU “Ljubović”, JU “Komanski most” and the Children’s Home “Mladost” in Bijela), which was the only part made public by the Ministry.

HRA’s letter stresses that the CPT’s preliminary observations are of immediate general and specific public interest. They concern closed institutions—prisons and the Special Psychiatric Hospital—places where people deprived of their liberty are particularly vulnerable to abuse. Considering the two hunger strikes of detainees in the Institute for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions (UIKS) this year, as well as the serious problems in the Special Psychiatric Hospital in Dobrota, there is no justification for withholding information on urgent measures to improve the conditions in which these individuals are held, especially at this historic moment for Montenegro as it must demonstrate its capacity to attain EU membership.

The letter also emphasizes that the implementation of CPT recommendations is a closing benchmark in negotiation Chapter 23; therefore, their implementation is in the general interest of all citizens, while transparency in this process is crucial not only for institutional accountability but also for maintaining public trust in human rights reforms.

HRA recalled that in previous reports the CPT had pointed out the failure to implement recommendations concerning the lack of effective safeguards against ill-treatment in police custody, the improper and prolonged use of means of restraint in the prison system, as well as chronic overcrowding and poor conditions in the psychiatric hospital in Dobrota. For this reason, it is essential that the Government publish the latest preliminary findings without delay to avoid any further postponement in addressing problems that have been the subject of criticism for years.

In addition to requesting the publication of the CPT’s preliminary findings, HRA has also called on the Government of Montenegro to adopt a decision on the automatic publication of future CPT reports, without the need for individual authorization for each report.

Adopting automatic publication would accelerate the release of reports in 2026, strengthen public confidence in the transparency of public administration, and align Montenegro with the best European practice of the 17 States that have already accepted automatic publication.