Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
A/RES/70/146
body active in the prevention and combating of torture and other cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment;
18. Also urges States to ensure accountability for any act of sanction,
reprisal, intimidation or other form of unlawful prejudicial conduct against any
person, group or association, including persons deprived of their liberty, for
cooperating, seeking to cooperate or having cooperated with any national or
international monitoring or preventive body active in the prevention and combating
of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment , by
ensuring impartial, prompt, independent and thorough investigations of any alleged
act of sanction, reprisal, intimidation or other form of unlawful prejudicial conduct;
to bring the perpetrators to justice; to provide access to effective remedies for
victims, in accordance with their international human rights obligations and
commitments; and to prevent any recurrence;
19. Calls upon States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 1 to fulfil their obligation to
submit for prosecution or extradite those alleged to have committed acts of torture,
regardless of where such acts were committed, if the alleged offender is present in
any territory under their jurisdiction, and encourages other States also to do so,
bearing in mind the need to fight impunity;
20. Encourages States to consider establishing or maintaining appropriate
national processes to record allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment and to ensure that such information is accessible
in accordance with applicable law;
21. Stresses that an independent, competent domestic authority must
promptly, effectively and impartially investigate all allegations of torture or other
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as well as wherever there is
reasonable ground to believe that such an act has been committed, and that those
who encourage, instigate, order, tolerate, acquiesce in, consent to or perpetrate such
acts must be held responsible, brought to justice and punished in a manner
commensurate with the severity of the offence, including the officials in charge of
any place of detention or other place where persons are deprived of their liberty
where the prohibited act is found to have been committed;
22. Recalls, in this respect, the Principles on the Effective Investigation and
Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment (the Istanbul Principles) 7 as a valuable tool in efforts to prevent and
combat torture and the updated set of principles for the protection and promotion of
human rights through action to combat impunity; 8
23. Emphasizes that States shall keep under systematic review interrogation
rules, instructions, methods and practices, as well as arrangements for the custody
and treatment of persons subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment
in any territory under their jurisdiction, with a view to preventing cases of torture;
24. Encourages all States to ensure that persons charged with torture or other
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment have no involvement in the
custody, interrogation or treatment of any person under arrest, detention,
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8
Resolution 55/89, annex.
E/CN.4/2005/102/Add.1.
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