Opening Statement by Bacre Waly Ndiaye, Director Human Rights Council and Special Procedures Division Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Forum of the World Organisation Against Torture Geneva, 4 May 2012

Nothing can justify torture under any circumstances
Towards accountability and implementation

Mesdames et Messieurs,

Je tiens à remercier l'OMCT au nom du Haut-Commissaire Navi Pillay pour l'organisation de cet événement qui offre une occasion unique de faire le point sur l’état de la lutte contre la torture, et de considérer  les mesures appropriées à mettre en œuvre afin de lutter contre l'impunité et assurer ainsi le respect de l’obligation de rendre des comptes pour tout acte de torture.

Le dédier à la mémoire de Floribert Chibeya et lui témoigner notre admiration pour son combat et notre indignation face à son assassinat par l’acte  d’applaudir et non par le silence, fut-il de recueillement, témoignage bien de l’esprit de l’OMCT. Un esprit que nous devons continuer à alimenter par le refus constant de la torture et la résistance face à son impunité.

Si la torture est une pratique odieuse et inacceptable dont l’interdiction reste absolue et non dérogeable en droit international, elle demeure néanmoins une triste réalité et un défi majeur pour nos sociétés. En effet, cette violation des droits de l’homme parmi les plus graves continue d'être pratiquée dans de nombreux pays du monde, qu’il s’agisse de pays dits « autoritaires »,  «  en transition », ou encore de pays considérés comme « démocratiques ».
The existing international legal framework to address torture should be enough to prevent and eradicate torture and ill-treatment.  However, in practice these international standards are applied ineffectively or are absent in domestic legislation.  In order to live up to their obligation, States must criminalize all acts of torture and ill-treatment in their domestic law, ensuring that these acts are punishable by appropriate penalties that commensurate to the gravity of the crime.

The prohibition of torture is far-reaching and goes beyond the act of committing torture and beyond torture itself.  The UN Committee against Torture has clearly found that torture can be committed by omission.  Therefore, the responsibility of States in guaranteeing the right to be free from torture and other forms of ill-treatment must be addressed no matter their levels of involvement and their complicity and degree of collaboration in such practices. 

Thus the duty to investigate under article 12 of CAT is applicable to allegations of an act of torture or complicity in torture. States must take all necessary measures to ensure that all allegations of torture and ill-treatment by public officers, in particular law enforcement, prison staff and the armed forces, are promptly, thoroughly and effectively investigated in the course of transparent and independent procedures and that any person committing or participating in such acts or acting as an accomplice the are held responsible before the law and liable to criminal penalties.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Many States have not yet established independent and impartial national institutions in accordance with the Paris Principles with effective powers to, inter alia, investigate complaints by victims of torture and ill-treatment by public authorities, including obtaining medical evidence in support of their allegations, and to ensure that complainants are protected against any ill-treatment or intimidation.

 In the mindset of some Governments, torture and ill-treatment are acceptable “collateral damage” in the name of national security. Many intelligence agencies, in particular, continue to operate in a legal vacuum with no law, or no publicly available law. Four mandates of the UN Special Procedures presented a report to the Human Rights Council on global practices in relation to secret detention in the context of countering terrorism and concluded that oversight and accountability mechanisms were either absent or severely restricted, with limited powers and hence ineffective. To date, there have been only a handful of judicial investigations into allegations of secret detention and extraordinary rendition and few have been brought to justice.

One means to enhance accountability and combat impunity would be to strengthen legislation on ex officio investigations, as required by article 12 of the Convention against Torture. As victims are often unaware of existing complaints mechanisms, they lack confidence that their complaints will be effectively addressed or they are afraid to file them for fear of repercussions by the authorities.

Recent uprisings during the Arab Spring have resulted in widespread human rights atrocities, including torture and ill-treatment. In an effort to deal with these challenges, a number of national and international commissions of inquiry have been established in an effort to respond to unfolding events.

The international community has a duty to establish a commission of inquiry, using the various mechanisms available, when the State fails to break the cycle of impunity or is unwilling or unable to explore the truth and provide justice or where human rights violations threaten international peace and security. International commissions of inquiry can play a role in addressing allegations of widespread or systemic torture by calling for substantive reforms to national institutions to ensure that accountability mechanisms conform to international standards.

Although a commission of inquiry may aid States in the fulfillment of their international legal obligations with regard to torture and other forms of ill-treatment, establishing a commission of inquiry does not diminish the States’ responsibilities. Thus, commissions of inquiry should be considered complementary to other mechanisms, including criminal investigations and prosecution of perpetrators, the provision of reparations to victims, and extensive reforms to institutions, including the vetting of public officials.

Commissions of inquiry are also particularly useful where there is a lack of public information about a specific event or issue, such as when, for reasons of national security or intelligence, certain information is secret or classified.

The establishment of a new mandate by the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach incorporating the full range of judicial and non-judicial measures.

Distinguished participants,

Accountability is a process which does not end with punishment of the perpetrators:     redress of the victim is a key component. Full redress under international law and practice encompasses restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition.

The Special Rapporteur on torture has emphasized the importance of restoration of the dignity of the victim as an inherent component of accountability and redress. 

The Committee against Torture plans to adopt a General Comment on article 14 concerning the obligation of redress.  Article 14 is applicable to all victims of torture and acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment without discrimination of any kind, in line with the Committee’s General Comment No. 2. 
                        
Realizing redress is a challenge for States. Efforts are needed at the national level to enact legislation and establish complaints mechanisms, investigation bodies and institutions, including independent judicial bodies, capable of determining the right to and awarding redress for victims of torture and ill-treatment.  To enhance accountability, such mechanisms and bodies must be accessible to all victims. Vulnerable persons, in particular, lack access to realize their right to redress.

In many countries, laws providing for an effective remedy and full reparation including legal, medical and psychological services, along with compensation for victims and their families do not exist, or are never realized due to the lack of financial resources or inadequate national infrastructures. In some States, compensation schemes are token offerings and may be available only as an alternative to prosecution of perpetrators and criminal sanctions. These factors contribute to a culture of impunity.  Effective redress is integral to accountability and has an inherent preventive and deterrent effect in relation to future violations.

Dear Participants,

Despite the comprehensive legal framework – which exists to confront torture, much remains to be done.  Legal instruments at the international, regional and national level are often little understood, which has the consequence of poor implementation.

A key challenge to the effective functioning of international mechanisms is the need for political will and financial support to enable States to follow up on recommendations made by the Committee against Torture, the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture; the Universal Periodic Review and the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Building on lessons learned, these bodies now increasingly cross-reference each other recommendations and put a greater emphasis on follow up.

An ongoing challenge is the need for vigilance in order to enforce and reinforce the implementation of the existing international standards that are in place to protect and promote human rights and, more specifically, to uphold the right to be free from torture and ill-treatment.  While States bear the main responsibility for implementing international human rights standards, NGOs and civil society play an essential role in highlighting gaps in the protection of human rights and identifying strategies to help achieve accountability against torture and effective implementation at a systemic level. 

The ratification of The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) by States must be advocated as it provides States parties with a comprehensive and preventative tool to meet their obligations under CAT. Prevention and accountability of torture are intricately linked.  A key challenge is the establishment and functioning of independent national preventive mechanisms (including national human rights institutions and ombudsmen institutions) with sufficient powers to fully discharge their mandate, including sufficient human and financial resources.

Visits to all places of detention as carried out by the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, relevant Special Procedure mandates, regional mechanisms and national bodies is a practice that must be encouraged and supported.  Announced and unannounced visits are essential to examine the situation of persons deprived of their liberty and meet with officials in the prison system or those who have the authority to detain. Identifying gaps in the protection of the persons concerned and making recommendations to States to develop and implement an effective system of safeguards, in law and in practice, helps to eliminate or reduce to the minimum the possibilities of torture or ill-treatment. 

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is working with multi-stakeholders on the development of the Istanbul Protocol Plan of Action which will help to eradicate torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by more effective implementation of international human rights standards.

There is clearly a responsibility for all.

Government officials, parliamentarians, judges, lawyers, medical professionals, military, security, law enforcement and other officials need to clearly understand that they are accountable for their actions and also for their non-action in preventing torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. When they speak out it is important that there are effective mechanisms to ensure their protection against reprisal and sanction.

Mesdames et Messieurs,

Certaines parties du monde sont constamment sous les projecteurs des médias, mais nous devons également plaider en faveur de ceux dont le sort est souvent négligé et qui ont également besoin d'être mis sous le parapluie protecteur de la responsabilité de l'Etat. A cet égard, les victimes doivent jouir d’une protection réelle et accrue contre la torture. Cela implique en particulier un accès à des recours effectifs, le droit à une réparation adéquate, [mais également une assistance médicale et psychologique].

Je voudrais conclure, en soulignant que ce n’est qu’en adoptant une approche globale et proactive, dans laquelle le respect des obligations conventionnelles et des engagements internationaux pertinents, ainsi que l’application des recommandations des différents mécanismes de droits de l’homme, y compris celles du Rapporteur Spécial contre la torture, sont assurés que les Etats parviendront à prévenir et éradiquer la torture. En effet, il ne peut y avoir de résultats probants que si le cadre juridique et institutionnel international destiné à prévenir et éliminer la torture est effectivement mis en œuvre et ce dans le respect de l’état de droit, de la démocratie, des droits et libertés de l’homme.

Mesdames et Messieurs, Je vous remercie de votre attention.