Torture is an “egregious abuse of human rights”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on the International Day in Support of the Victims of Torture.
Although international law “unequivocally prohibits torture in all instances”, the UN chief pointed out that it nevertheless continues in many countries, “even those where it is criminalized”.
Torture seeks to annihilate a victim’s personality and denies a human being of his or her inherent dignity.
Concerns about protecting national security and borders are increasingly used to allow torture and other forms of cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment.
And its pervasive consequences often go beyond the isolated act on an individual to be transmitted through generations, leading to cycles of violence.
From the outset, the UN has condemned it as one of the vilest acts perpetrated by human beings on their fellow human beings.
“On this International Day in Support of the Victims of Torture, human rights defenders and survivors of torture around the world take the opportunity to speak out against this abhorrent denial of human dignity and they act to remember and support its victims”, Mr. Guterres said in his message.
Torture is absolutely banned under all relevant legal instruments and cannot be justified under any circumstances.
Its prohibition forms part of customary international law, which means that it is binding on every member of the international community, regardless of whether a State has ratified international treaties that expressly prohibit the practice or not, according to the UN.
Moreover, the systematic or widespread practice of torture constitutes a crime against humanity.
To transition from horror to healing, victims of torture require prompt and specialized programmes.
“Victims and survivors and their families must be empowered and assisted to seek justice for their ordeal”, Mr. Guterres asserted.
Original source: UN News
Published on 25 June 2020
