SYDNEY: A UN torture prevention panel terminated its suspended visit to Australia, saying it continued to face obstacles in getting access to some detention centres in the country.

The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) on Monday said it had requested several assurances in order to resume its visit but some guarantees were not provided, and it could not decide on a “reasonable timeframe” for a visit.

“Despite the good cooperation the Subcommittee has with the Australian federal authorities following our initial mission, there is no alternative but to terminate the visit as the issue of unrestricted access to all places of deprivation of liberty in two states has not yet been resolved,” SPT Chairperson Suzanne Jabbour said in a statement.

The Australian government “deeply regrets” the decision by the UN panel, a spokesperson for Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said in an emailed response.

“This is despite the fact that the SPT carried out successful visits to places of detention across almost all jurisdictions in Australia, and the progress made by Australia in addressing the concerns raised by the SPT,” it said.

Published in Dawn, February 22th, 2023