Denmark and Switzerland present recommendations from international conference on “Torture Prevention in the Criminal Justice System”

At the 27th OSCE Ministerial Council in Tirana in 2020, OSCE participating States strongly condemned all forms of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as one of the most flagrant violations of human rights and human dignity and reaffirmed that freedom from torture and other ill-treatment is a non-derogable right under international law (MC.DEC.7/20). However, despite clear commitments, the use of torture and other ill-treatment continues to be a challenge in criminal justice systems across the OSCE region.

In this context, on 2 June 2021, Denmark and Switzerland hosted the international online conference “Torture Prevention in the Criminal Justice System: The Roles and Responsibilities of Police and other Law Enforcement”, with the support of the 2021 OSCE Swedish Chairpersonship and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

In an attempt at collecting and structuring the recommendations made by the speakers and participants at the conference, as well as references made to recent publications on the topic, the co-organisers have issued a publication with recommendations from the Conference participants.

The publication is drafted without prejudice and does not endorse any recommendation over the other. Our hope is, however, that the document can serve as inspiration for further dialogue and possible action for all relevant stakeholders. 

You can find the publication here.

***