Effective multilateralism crucial to fight torture and impunity, say participants at OSCE event in Vienna

Taking stock and identifying ways to make multilateral cooperation in the fight against torture more effective were the focus of the conference ‘Effective multilateralism in the fight against torture: Trends in the OSCE region and the way forward’ that took place on 5 June 2019 in Vienna.

The event brought together high-level representatives from over 45 OSCE participating States, international and regional institutions, the Survivors Speak OUT network and specialized non-governmental organizations working towards the eradication of torture in the region. The 140 participants discussed the root causes of torture and ways of addressing them more effectively, as well as challenges in bringing perpetrators to justice and combating impunity in the OSCE region.

“Despite the recognition of torture as a most serious crime, far too many victims of torture remain unacknowledged, and the number of convictions for acts of torture in the OSCE region too low,” said Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). “Many in our participating States are increasingly concerned about security, terrorism and crime in our region. In that context it is important never to forget that torture only breeds more crime and more terrorism and generates distrust in our police and democratic institutions.” 

Participants also discussed ongoing attempts in many countries to circumvent the absolute prohibition of torture and ill-treatment in the context of the fight against terrorism, and the need to foster further and stronger multilateral responses.

“By failing to prosecute the crime of torture, States are in clear violation of the Convention against Torture and are sending a dangerous message of complacency and impunity to officials around the world” said United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer. “We must understand that, in a world full of globalized challenges, human rights are the very basis for our safety, stability and prosperity”.

Conclusions and recommendations on how to foster multilateral responses to the root causes of torture, specific aspects of torture prevention not explicitly addressed by OSCE commitments, and OSCE efforts to combat torture and other ill-treatment, will be used to inspire potential further action within the OSCE in the field of torture prevention.

The event was organized by the  Permanent Representations of Denmark, Switzerland and Austria to the OSCE, in co-operation with the Slovak OSCE Chairmanship and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), and the support of 41 OSCE participating States, including the Slovak OSCE 2019 Chairmanship.