Message on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, 26 June 2009

(June 26, 2009) United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon has released a message for the June 26^th International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, lamenting that despite an impressive legal and institutional framework to prevent it, torture is still widely tolerated or even practiced by governments, and impunity persists for the perpetrators. The UN chief urged all to “reaffirm the inalienable rights and dignity of all men and women,” and “step up the fight against torture and cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment and punishment, wherever they occur.” He urged member states that have not yet done so to ratify and implement in good faith the Convention against Torture and the provisions of its Optional Protocol. He also urged them to invite the Special Rapporteur on Torture to visit places where persons are deprived of liberty in their country and to extend their cooperation to allow full and unhindered access.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, also issued a statement for the annual observance urging more states to ratify convention. She said that it was impressive to note that since the adoption of the Convention against Torture 25 years ago, 146 states, or three-quarters of the world’s states, have ratified it. But it is unimpressive given the inhumanity of the practices this Convention seeks to ban.