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Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
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PREAMBLE
[
go to this PREAMBLE
]
... Recognizing that those
rights
derive from the
inherent dignity
of the
human
person
, ...
... Having
regard
also to the
Declaration
on the
Protection
of All
Persons
from Being Subjected to
Torture
and Other
Cruel
,
Inhuman
or
Degrading Treatment
or
Punishment
,
adopted
by the
General Assembly
on 9 December 1975, ...
ARTICLE-1
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... 1. For the
purposes
of this
Convention
, the
term
"
torture
" means any
act
by which severe
pain
or
suffering
, whether
physical
or
mental
, is
intentionally
inflicted on a
person
for such
purposes
as obtaining from him or a
third person
information
or a
confession
,
punishing
him for an
act
he or a
third person
has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or
coercing
him or a
third person
, or for any
reason
based on
discrimination
of any kind, when such
pain
or
suffering
is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the
consent
or
acquiescence
of a
public official
or other
person
acting in an
official
capacity
. It does not
include
pain
or
suffering
arising only from,
inherent
in or incidental to
lawful
sanctions
. ...
... 1. For the
purposes
of this
Convention
, the
term
"
torture
" means any
act
by which severe
pain
or
suffering
, whether
physical
or
mental
, is
intentionally
inflicted on a
person
for such
purposes
as obtaining from him or a
third person
information
or a
confession
,
punishing
him for an
act
he or a
third person
has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or
coercing
him or a
third person
, or for any
reason
based on
discrimination
of any kind, when such
pain
or
suffering
is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the
consent
or
acquiescence
of a
public official
or other
person
acting in an
official
capacity
. It does not
include
pain
or
suffering
arising only from,
inherent
in or incidental to
lawful
sanctions
. ...
... 1. For the
purposes
of this
Convention
, the
term
"
torture
" means any
act
by which severe
pain
or
suffering
, whether
physical
or
mental
, is
intentionally
inflicted on a
person
for such
purposes
as obtaining from him or a
third person
information
or a
confession
,
punishing
him for an
act
he or a
third person
has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or
coercing
him or a
third person
, or for any
reason
based on
discrimination
of any kind, when such
pain
or
suffering
is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the
consent
or
acquiescence
of a
public official
or other
person
acting in an
official
capacity
. It does not
include
pain
or
suffering
arising only from,
inherent
in or incidental to
lawful
sanctions
. ...
... 1. For the
purposes
of this
Convention
, the
term
"
torture
" means any
act
by which severe
pain
or
suffering
, whether
physical
or
mental
, is
intentionally
inflicted on a
person
for such
purposes
as obtaining from him or a
third person
information
or a
confession
,
punishing
him for an
act
he or a
third person
has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or
coercing
him or a
third person
, or for any
reason
based on
discrimination
of any kind, when such
pain
or
suffering
is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the
consent
or
acquiescence
of a
public official
or other
person
acting in an
official
capacity
. It does not
include
pain
or
suffering
arising only from,
inherent
in or incidental to
lawful
sanctions
. ...
... 1. For the
purposes
of this
Convention
, the
term
"
torture
" means any
act
by which severe
pain
or
suffering
, whether
physical
or
mental
, is
intentionally
inflicted on a
person
for such
purposes
as obtaining from him or a
third person
information
or a
confession
,
punishing
him for an
act
he or a
third person
has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or
coercing
him or a
third person
, or for any
reason
based on
discrimination
of any kind, when such
pain
or
suffering
is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the
consent
or
acquiescence
of a
public official
or other
person
acting in an
official
capacity
. It does not
include
pain
or
suffering
arising only from,
inherent
in or incidental to
lawful
sanctions
. ...
ARTICLE-3
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... 1. No
State Party
shall
expel
,
return
("
refouler
") or
extradite
a
person
to another
State
where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in
danger
of being subjected to
torture
. ...
ARTICLE-4
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... 1. Each
State Party
shall ensure that all
acts
of
torture
are
offences
under its
criminal law
. The same shall apply to an
attempt
to commit
torture
and to an
act
by any
person
which constitutes complicity or
participation
in
torture
. ...
ARTICLE-6
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... 1. Upon being satisfied, after an
examination
of
information
available to it, that the
circumstances
so
warrant
, any
State Party
in whose
territory
a
person
alleged to have committed any
offence
referred to in
article
4
is present shall take him into
custody
or take other
legal
measures
to ensure his
presence
. The
custody
and other
legal
measures
shall be as provided in the
law
of that
State
but may be continued only for such
time
as is necessary to enable any
criminal
or
extradition
proceedings
to be instituted. ...
... 3. Any
person
in
custody
pursuant to paragraph 1 of this
article
shall be assisted in
communicating
immediately with the nearest appropriate
representative
of the
State
of which he is a
national
, or, if he is a
stateless person
, with the
representative
of the
State
where he usually resides. ...
... 3. Any
person
in
custody
pursuant to paragraph 1 of this
article
shall be assisted in
communicating
immediately with the nearest appropriate
representative
of the
State
of which he is a
national
, or, if he is a
stateless person
, with the
representative
of the
State
where he usually resides. ...
... 4. When a
State
, pursuant to this
article
, has taken a
person
into
custody
, it shall immediately notify the
States
referred to in
article
5
, paragraph 1, of the
fact
that such
person
is in
custody
and of the
circumstances
which
warrant
his
detention
. The
State
which makes the
preliminary
inquiry
contemplated in paragraph 2 of this
article
shall promptly
report
its findings to the said
States
and shall indicate whether it intends to
exercise
jurisdiction
. ...
... 4. When a
State
, pursuant to this
article
, has taken a
person
into
custody
, it shall immediately notify the
States
referred to in
article
5
, paragraph 1, of the
fact
that such
person
is in
custody
and of the
circumstances
which
warrant
his
detention
. The
State
which makes the
preliminary
inquiry
contemplated in paragraph 2 of this
article
shall promptly
report
its findings to the said
States
and shall indicate whether it intends to
exercise
jurisdiction
. ...
ARTICLE-7
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... 1. The
State Party
in the
territory
under whose
jurisdiction
a
person
alleged to have committed any
offence
referred to in
article
4
is found shall in the
cases
contemplated in
article
5
, if it does not
extradite
him, submit the
case
to its
competent authorities
for the
purpose
of
prosecution
. ...
... 3. Any
person
regarding whom
proceedings
are brought in
connection
with any of the
offences
referred to in
article
4
shall be
guaranteed
fair treatment
at all stages of the
proceedings
. ...
ARTICLE-10
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... 1. Each
State Party
shall ensure that
education
and
information
regarding the
prohibition
against
torture
are
fully
included
in the
training
of
law enforcement
personnel
,
civil
or
military
,
medical personnel
,
public officials
and other
persons
who may be involved in the
custody
,
interrogation
or
treatment
of any
individual
subjected to any form of
arrest
,
detention
or
imprisonment
. ...
... 2. Each
State Party
shall
include
this
prohibition
in the
rules
or
instructions
issued in
regard
to the
duties
and functions of any such
person
. ...
ARTICLE-11
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... Each
State Party
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 its
jurisdiction
, with a
view
to preventing any
cases
of
torture
. ...
ARTICLE-14
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... 2. Nothing in this
article
shall
affect
any
right
of the
victim
or other
persons
to
compensation
which may
exist
under
national law
. ...
ARTICLE-15
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... Each
State Party
shall ensure that any
statement
which is
established
to have been made as a result of
torture
shall not be invoked as
evidence
in any
proceedings
, except against a
person
accused
of
torture
as
evidence
that the
statement
was made. ...
ARTICLE-16
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... 1. Each
State Party
shall
undertake
to
prevent
in any
territory
under its
jurisdiction
other
acts
of
cruel
,
inhuman
or
degrading treatment
or
punishment
which do not
amount
to
torture
as defined in
article
1
, when such
acts
are committed by or at the instigation of or with the
consent
or
acquiescence
of a
public official
or other
person
acting in an
official
capacity
. In particular, the
obligations
contained in
articles
10
,
11
,
12
and
13
shall apply with the substitution for references to
torture
of references to other forms of
cruel
,
inhuman
or
degrading treatment
or
punishment
. ...
ARTICLE-17
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... 1. There shall be
established
a
Committee against Torture
(hereinafter referred to as the
Committee
) which shall carry out the functions hereinafter provided. The
Committee
shall consist of ten
experts
of high
moral
standing and recognized
competence
in the
field
of
human rights
, who shall serve in their
personal
capacity
. The
experts
shall be
elected
by the
States Parties
,
consideration
being given to
equitable
geographical distribution
and to the usefulness of the
participation
of some
persons
having
legal experience
. ...
... 2. The
members
of the
Committee
shall be
elected
by
secret ballot
from a
list
of
persons
nominated by
States Parties
. Each
State Party
may
nominate
one
person
from among its own
nationals
.
States Parties
shall bear in
mind
the usefulness of nominating
persons
who are also
members
of the
Human Rights Committee
established
under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
and who are willing to serve on the
Committee against Torture
. ...
... 2. The
members
of the
Committee
shall be
elected
by
secret ballot
from a
list
of
persons
nominated by
States Parties
. Each
State Party
may
nominate
one
person
from among its own
nationals
.
States Parties
shall bear in
mind
the usefulness of nominating
persons
who are also
members
of the
Human Rights Committee
established
under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
and who are willing to serve on the
Committee against Torture
. ...
... 2. The
members
of the
Committee
shall be
elected
by
secret ballot
from a
list
of
persons
nominated by
States Parties
. Each
State Party
may
nominate
one
person
from among its own
nationals
.
States Parties
shall bear in
mind
the usefulness of nominating
persons
who are also
members
of the
Human Rights Committee
established
under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
and who are willing to serve on the
Committee against Torture
. ...
... 3.
Elections
of the
members
of the
Committee
shall be held at biennial
meetings
of
States Parties
convened by the
Secretary-General of the United Nations
. At those
meetings
, for which two thirds of the
States Parties
shall
constitute
a
quorum
, the
persons
elected
to the
Committee
shall be those who obtain the largest
number of votes
and an
absolute majority
of the
votes
of the
representatives
of
States Parties
present and
voting
. ...
... 4. The
initial election
shall be held no later than six
months
after the
date
of the
entry into force
of this
Convention
. At least four
months
before the
date
of each
election
, the
Secretary-General of the United Nations
shall
address
a
letter
to the
States Parties
inviting them to submit their
nominations
within three
months
. The
Secretary-General
shall prepare a
list
in
alphabetical
order
of all
persons
thus nominated, indicating the
States Parties
which have nominated them, and shall submit it to the
States Parties
. ...
ARTICLE-21
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... (c) The
Committee
shall deal with a matter referred to it under this
article
only after it has ascertained that all
domestic
remedies
have been invoked and
exhausted
in the matter, in
conformity
with the generally recognized
principles
of
international law
. This shall not be the
rule
where the
application
of the
remedies
is unreasonably prolonged or is unlikely to bring effective
relief
to the
person
who is the
victim
of the
violation
of this
Convention
; ...
ARTICLE-22
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... (b) The
individual
has
exhausted
all available
domestic
remedies
; this shall not be the
rule
where the
application
of the
remedies
is unreasonably prolonged or is unlikely to bring effective reliefto the
person
who is the
victim
of the
violation
of this
Convention
. ...
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