Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment
Oral Statement, World Organisation Against Torture
Thank you
Mr. President.
Mr. Special Rapporteur,
OMCT would like to thank you for your report. We share your concerns on the increasing tolerance to the use of torture in the name of security and the fight against terrorism. We commend your commitment to unequivocally reaffirm the absolute and non-derogatory nature of torture, which is paramount in the current changing political climate.
We also consider crucial your commitment to address protection gaps of people on the move, including patterns of abuse in transit countries and attempts to circumvent the non-refoulement principle through mass expulsions and the externalization of border controls and asylum proceedings. We also call for a systematic screening to identify the needs for those who have suffered trauma to have access to treatment.
We commend your efforts to make the implementation and protection gap a primary focus of your mandate. We believe that the very first step towards an effective implementation of international treaties, including the Convention against Torture, is for State Parties to comply with their reporting obligations. However, to date many are the countries, including Bangladesh, that are yet to submit their initial report to the Committee against Torture. What actions will you take in this regard?
OMCT welcomes your recent visit to Turkey and your appeal to the government to publicly reinforce its zero-tolerance policy on torture. It is vital that the situation continues to be monitored. We remain deeply troubled by the skyrocketing of allegations of torture and ill-treatment reported since the attempted coup d’état, amidst a climate of fear and intimidation of victims, witnesses, lawyers and doctors taking up such allegations. We are also deeply concerned about reports indicating gross violations of human rights in the south-east part of the country and about what it seems to be a systematization of torture under the country’s state of emergency.
Mr. Melzer, could you identify
clearly which steps Turkey should take urgently to prevent the normalization of
torture as well as to ensure a climate that allows those who are documenting
torture and treating victims – no matter who the person may be - in Turkey?
Finally, we welcome the outgoing SRT’s reports on Sri Lanka, Mauritania and Mexico and strongly support his recommendations. With regard to the latter, we would be grateful to know which actions you plan to undertake in order to monitor the implementation of the recommendations issued by the former SRT in its mission and follow up reports; do you foresee a follow up visit to Mexico?
Thank you.
| Tweet |
English