The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), established in 1987 by the Council of Europe, operates on the basis of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Its task is to protect detainees and monitor their treatment in detention centers. CPT pays particular attention to the living conditions of inmates, and checks whether they are tortured or their fundamental human rights are violated. The CPT mission is carried out mainly through a system of visits by independent experts to penitentiary facilities. On the basis of international conventions, CPT experts have the right to visit detention centers, to move freely inside them, and to talk with inmates.

The CPT website includes descriptions of the organization’s activities, legal acts on which the activities are based, other documents and reports, a complete list of member organizations, and a calendar of events.