Commissions of inquiry 2012, para. 34

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Commissions of inquiry into torture and other forms of ill-treatment may be traced back at least to the practice of ad hoc public inquiries or royal inquiries into a defined issue in the United Kingdom in the eleventh century, and subsequently in other Commonwealth countries. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, public inquiries became prolific in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The inquiries were appointed to advise the Government on a wide range of public policy issues, allegations of wrongdoing by Government officials and investigation into the causes of major disasters. Many other States, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Kenya, Morocco, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sweden and the United States of America, have also historically or recently established commissions of inquiry with prescribed membership or given national human rights institutions the mandate to undertake inquires more systematically in order to investigate specific crimes or events.
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Body
Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Means of adoption
N.A.
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2012
Paragraph type
Other
Paragraph number
34