DHAKA, Nov 24, 2025 (BSS) - The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture 
(SPT) has welcomed Bangladesh's recent ratification of the Optional Protocol 
to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), noting its significance as the UN 
body prepares an expanded programme of country visits for 2026.

The SPT said Bangladesh, alongside Colombia, joined the group of States 
Parties this year, bringing the total number to 96, said a press release 
received here.

It noted that both new members are now required to establish independent 
National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) within a year to strengthen domestic 
anti-torture safeguards.

The UN body announced that its 2026 visit schedule will include six missions-
including postponed visits to Burundi, France and Mexico-and newly confirmed 
assessments in Paraguay, Rwanda and Sri Lanka. The programme will begin with 
Mexico in January.

Due to the UN's liquidity constraints, the SPT completed only four country 
visits in 2025-Mozambique, New Zealand, Peru and Serbia-which represented 
half of its planned missions.

"While our resources remain strained, we are committed to fulfilling our 
visiting mandate, even if at a reduced pace," said María Luisa Romero, Chair 
of the Subcommittee. "Direct engagement with States and independent national 
monitoring bodies is essential to advancing the global prevention of 
torture."

The SPT said it looks forward to supporting Bangladesh and Colombia in 
establishing their NPMs, describing the national watchdogs as central to 
OPCAT's effectiveness, especially during periods when international visits 
face financial or logistical constraints.

"A defining feature of OPCAT is the work carried out at national level by 
NPMs," Romero said. "Their regular monitoring of all places of detention is 
vital to preventing torture and ill-treatment."

During its latest session in Geneva, the Subcommittee reviewed its concluding 
visits of the year and adopted reports on Peru and Greece, which will soon be 
sent to the respective governments with requests to make them public. The SPT 
also held its annual joint meeting with the Committee against Torture to 
discuss shared priorities.

The Subcommittee is preparing a series of upcoming webinars with NPMs on 
drug-policy issues and noted its intention to advance work on social 
reintegration, drawing on a recent OHCHR study.

Under OPCAT, the SPT conducts unannounced visits to police stations, prisons, 
psychiatric institutions, immigration detention centres and other custodial 
facilities, and works with NPMs, human rights institutions and civil society 
to strengthen torture-prevention frameworks.