Half of the Advisory Board of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture (NPM) has been renewed in accordance with the regulations upon the lapse of the first four years following its having been officially created.
The Advisory Board was formed in June 2013 in compliance with the provision of the Organic Act 1/2009 as the “body for technical and juridical cooperation” and brings together qualified professionals from different scientific disciplines, providing advisory rounding out the tasks of the NMP and its technical personnel.
The tasks of the Advisory Board, which meets at least twice a year, consist of suggesting visits to places for the deprivation of freedom, to put forth proposals for improving the visit methodology, to write reports regarding the legislation, to propose training programs and seminars on the prevention of torture, to carrying out a follow-up on NPM reports and on the United Nations Subcommittee for Prevention of Torture (SPT) and those other matters which are put to the consideration thereof. Similarly, the members serving on the Advisory Board are invited to be part of the teams visiting the different places for the deprivation of freedom as well as to gain first-hand knowledge of the work that is being done by the NPM unit.
The current Advisory Board, presided by the Ombudsman, Soledad Becerril Bustamante, is comprised of the following members:
– Francisco M. Fernández Marugán, First Deputy Ombudsman (ex-officio member of the Board)
– Concepció Ferrer i Casals, Second Deputy Ombudsman (ex-officio member of the Board)
– Milagros Fuentes González, Attorney-at-Law and Patron of the Spanish Attorney’s Foundation, appointed on the recommendation of the General Council of Spanish Attorneys (renewed, term of office ends: 2021)
– Inmaculada Martínez Torre, President of the Official Medical Association of La Rioja, appointed on the recommendation of the General Council of Official Medical Associations of Spain (new member, term of office ends: 2021)
– Julián Carlos Ríos Martín, Ordinary Professor of Criminal Law of the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas and Attorney expert in Penitentiary Law (renewed, term of office ends: 2021)
– Maite Parejo Sousa, Attorney-at-Law, Vice-President of the Pro Human Rights Association of Spain (APDHE) (new member, term of office ends: 2021)
– Vicenta Esteve Biot, Clinical Psychologist and Secretary of the Official Association of Psychologists of the Autonomous Community of Valencia, appointed on the recommendation of the General Council of Official Associations of Psychologists of Spain (term of office ends: 2019)
– María José García-Galán San Miguel, Judge Magistrate and Member of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) of the Council of Europe (term of office ends: 2019)
– Jesús López-Medel Báscones, State’s Attorney and Professor of Administrative Law at the University of Cantabria (term of office ends: 2019)
– Lorenzo Martín-Retortillo Baquer, Professor Emeritus of Administrative Law of the Complutense University of Madrid and European Court of Human Rights Case-Law Expert (term of office ends: 2019).
