02 December 2009 - Four members of the United Nations Sub-Committee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) will begin a first official mission to Cambodia today under the terms of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, which Cambodia ratified in 2007. The SPT consists of independent experts who are mandated to undertake unannounced visits to places of detention in the country with a view to preventing torture and other forms of ill-treatment from occurring. The precise programme of visits and meetings is strictly confidential. Places of detention include not only prisons, but also police custody cells, compulsory drug treatment and social rehabilitation centres, immigration centres and any other place where people may be deprived of their liberty. The SPT will remain in Cambodia until 11 December and will hold discussions with key government officials and state institutions. Info note on the prevention of torture in Cambodia in English | Khmer. For information on OPCAT and the SPT, visit the page on OHCHR Website.