During the Cabinet meeting which took place on the 19 January 2012 in Dakar, Judge Boubou Diouf Tall was appointed as National Observer of places of deprivation of liberty.
Three years after the entry into force of the law establishing the Senegalese National Preventive Mechanism (National Observatory of places of deprivation of liberty), the Senegalese Government has finally appointed the Head of this new institution which is charged with preventing torture and ill-treatment in the country.
This decision was taken during a joint advocacy mission which the APT and Amnesty International Senegal carried out from 16 - 20 January 2012 in Dakar. The mission aimed at promoting the appointment of a suitable candidate, in accordance with the recommendations of the July 2011 seminar.
The APT welcomes this important step taken by the Senegalese Government which leads the OPCAT implementation process to a crucial phase: the establishment of a new NPM. Indeed, Mr. Tall will have to face the challenge of completing the establishment of the Observatory by gathering the necessary human, financial and substantial resources which will make the new institution fully operational.
The APT is eager to cooperate with the National Observer and is available to provide him with the necessary technical support in order to assure the effective functioning of the institution.
The Senegalese Observatory of places of deprivation of liberty becomes the 4th NPM in Africa, after those of Mauritius, Mali and Nigeria.
