International
Day in Support of Victims of Torture
26 June 2015
"The
rise of violent extremism and unprecedented levels of forced displacement in
our world demand a comprehensive response – and no aspect is more urgent than
assisting the many victims of rising levels of torture that these and related
trends generate."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Torture
seeks to annihilate the victim’s personality and denies the inherent dignity of
the human being. The United Nations has condemned torture from the outset as
one of the vilest acts perpetrated by human beings on their fellow human
beings.
Torture
is a crime under international law. According to all relevant instruments, it
is absolutely prohibited and cannot be justified under any circumstances. This
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 in which torture is expressly
prohibited. The systematic or widespread practice of torture constitutes a
crime against humanity.
On
12 December 1997, by resolution
52/149, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 26 June the United Nations
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, with a view to the total
eradication of torture and the effective functioning of the Convention against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, (resolution
39/46), annex, which entered into force on 26 June 1987.
