Elections of new members of UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) took place on 28 October 2010 at the United Nations in Geneva, where States Parties to the OPCAT elected 20 members from a list of 31 candidates.

Arman Danielyan, the President of Civil Society Institute NGO (Armenia), was elected as SPT member for four years' term. For the first time Armenian expert will also be represented in the SPT, following the ratification of OPCAT in 2006 by Armenia.

SPT is one of the United Nations mechanisms directed to the prevention of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. It started its work in February 2007.

The OPCAT gives the SPT the right to visit all places of detention in those States and examine the treatment of people held there.

Following the 50th ratification of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) in September 2009, the SPT membership increased from 10 to 25 members. Thus the SPT became the largest UN Treaty Body.

Source: www.csi.am