Experts from the Institution, in its dual capacity as Office of the Ombudsman and National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture, visited the Foreigners Internment Centre in Barcelona port Free Trade Zone on 7 September.
The visit took place without any prior notice in order to establish the extent to which the deficiencies detected during the previous visit on 3 February were being addressed. They held Interviews with detainees and with members of staff. At the time of the visit there were 114 detainees at the centre.
The experts from the Institution noted the following changes:
- To enhance security, the locks on the doors of the toilets in the rooms and the catches on the inner windows of the toilets have been changed. The inside light, which is activated by a movement sensor, was checked and found to be working properly.
- Currently there are 53 video-surveillance cameras and there are plans to have more of them.
- The exterior fence has been reinforced, by being raised.
- Four more telephone terminals have been installed in the large courtyard.
- The medical services’ facilities have been enlarged, enabling a detainee to stay in that department, if necessary.
- The Red Cross has made improvements to some facilities.
- The windows of a module that were in poor condition have been mended.
- At the time of the visit, work was being carried out so that the two separation rooms comply with the necessary safety measures, including the installation of video-surveillance cameras. Until the work has been completed there is authorisation from the control judge to use the old separation room.
- The installation of centralised opening for all the doors of an F module and the repair of the courtyard in that module are pending budget allocation.
- At the time of the visit, the doors of the common-use toilet of a module were being changed. The same changes will be made in the toilet off the central hall and, later on, in the toilets in the other two modules.
Since February 2009, the Office of the Ombudsman has made eight inspections of the CIE in Barcelona (February 2009, November 2010, January 2012, June 2013 and December 2013, January 2014, February 2016, September 2016).
The Institution frequently visits all the places where there are people deprived of liberty. Reports on all these inspections and on their findings and recommendations are contained in the annual reports of the Institution and of the MNP.
