The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) urged New Zealand on Thursday to take stronger action to reduce its rising prison population and better support its independent monitoring mechanism following a trip to the country. The SPT shared that it will provide the New Zealand government with a confidential report highlighting its findings, hoping the government will make the report public. Rights organizations have previously raised concerns over human rights abuses by New Zealand police and corrections staff. In Kyrgyzstan, the UN criticized the Government’s decision to close its torture prevention body, warning that the move undermined international obligations. Similarly, in Serbia, the SPT urged authorities to take more decisive steps to comply with the anti-torture protocol.