Honoring the Victims- The U.S. Response to Torture

Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a briefing on torture, in commemoration of the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

Torture is a war crime and a crime against humanity and is absolutely prohibited under any circumstances under international law.  Article 2 (2) of the U.N. Convention Against Torture states, “No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.” 

However, the scourge of torture remains widespread in the world.  In their most recent annual report, Amnesty International identified more than 122 countries that tortured, or otherwise maltreated people in 2015.  In a recent report, the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs documented torture in 125 countries and in all five major regions of the world, based on the testimonies of torture survivors in the United States.

This briefing will examine torture’s prevalence around the world, review the legal framework and role of the U.N. Committee against Torture in enforced compliance with the Convention, and provide recommendations for Congress regarding funding and support for rehabilitation programs.