International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

  June 26th marks the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. To call attention to the unrelenting use of torture to silence journalists around the world, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has highlighted emblematic cases and pays tribute to all the brave news professionals who have been subjected to this heinous crime simply for doing their job. Over 40 years ago, the United Nations Convention against Torture , ratified by 175 states, formally prohibited “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person” for such purposes as obtaining a confession, punishment, intimidation, coercion or discrimination. This fundamental text obliges states to prevent, punish and eradicate torture. Yet in many countries, torture remains a means of repression used repeatedly against journalists. Behind the hollow commitments to the Convention, impunity reigns: torturers are known but never prosecuted, complaints are dismissed and...

In 1997, the United Nations proclaimed 26 June as the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture to strengthen global efforts to eradicate torture , mark the entry into force of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) , and promote its effective implementation. CAT is a key instrument which commits and guides states on torture prohibition, prevention, punishment, and redress for victims. At the regional level, Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter) which is supplemented by the 2002 Robben Island Guidelines, affirm the absolute prohibition of and protection from torture, a peremptory norm or jus cogens, and a fundamental international standard whereby states cannot derogate from their obligation under any circumstances. As noted under the Robben Island Guidelines, States should ensure that their obligations under ratified human rights instruments are fully implemented in d...

The four United Nations anti-torture mechanisms* have today issued a stern call for more responsible and accountable policing of protests amidst serious human rights violations. As civic space is increasingly shrinking, individuals seeking to exercise their right to peaceful assembly continue to be exposed to serious risks of torture and other ill -treatment, including through unnecessary and excessive use of force. The experts welcomed proposals to develop international standards to prohibit the use, manufacture, and trade of weapons and law enforcement equipment, which have no other purpose than to cause excessive pain and suffering, and to strictly regulate those that can be misused to inflict harm. The current scale of torture and other forms of ill -treatment is alarming worldwide, with a particular trend of heavy-handed and sometimes brutal policing of protests. Many authorities increasingly treat peaceful protests as security threats, rather than recognizing them as the lawful ...