torture

Chairperson of the UN Committee against Torture Claudio Grossman.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Countries must urgently act on their commitments to eradicate torture – UN experts

23 October 2012
While an impressive international legal framework has been developed to prevent torture and other types of inhumane treatment or punishment, there are still too many States where this practice continues, a United Nations committee of experts said today, calling on countries to act on their commitments to eradicate it.
Special Rapporteur on torture Juan E. Méndez.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré

UN human rights expert condemns use of torture for confessions in Egyptian court

12 September 2012
The Government of Egypt must quickly investigate allegations of torture in its courts and discontinue the trials of those whose testimonies were obtained under duress, an independent United Nations expert urged today.
A look inside the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the site of the Khmer Rouge’s infamous Security Prison S-21 where torture was routinely practiced.
UN Photo/M. Garten

Secretary-General calls on States to provide concrete support for victims of torture

26 June 2012
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on countries to provide concrete support for victims of torture and prove their commitment to fighting a cruel and dehumanizing practice that remains pervasive.
Special Rapporteur on torture Juan E. Méndez.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré

Independent UN rights expert urges greater effort to eradicate torture in Tajikistan

18 May 2012
The United Nations independent expert on torture today said he was encouraged by recent legal changes in Tajikistan, including the introduction of a new provision defining torture and specifying penalties, but noted that mistreatment of suspects remains common.
Special Rapporteur on torture Juan E. Méndez.
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré

Commissions of inquiry alone cannot fight impunity against torture – UN expert

5 March 2012
Commissions of inquiry into torture and other forms of ill-treatment are effective instruments to fight impunity, but do not replace a country’s legal obligations to prosecute human rights violations, a United Nations independent expert stressed today.