“A victim of torture is one too many,” says UN expert
Since 1981, the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture has helped an average of 50,000 victims of torture every year in countries in every region of the world. A special webinar was organized to mark the 40th anniversary of the Fund and the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, by the four UN mandates working against torture, in partnership with UN Human Rights and the American University, Washington College of Law, Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law.
13 July 2021

COVID-19 exacerbates the risk of ill-treatment and torture worldwide – UN experts
The UN Anti-Torture mechanisms unanimously warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is leading to an escalation of torture and ill-treatment worldwide, and torture survivors are especially in danger of getting infected by the lethal virus.
26 June 2020

Kyrgyzstan establishes a new system to prevent torture
Following alarming reports of torture in places of detention after the ethnic conflict in 2010, Kyrgyzstan is the first country in Central Asia to adopt a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) law, which establishes a National Centre as an independent body to monitor places of detention.
18 March 2014

Closing the circle for victims of torture
The UN Committee against Torture calls for an end to amnesties for the perpetrators of torture and ill-treatment.
4 December 2012

Mechanisms to prevent torture in South America: the way forward for Chile
Human rights experts from the Americas discuss the establishment and role of national mechanisms to prevent torture in detention.
26 June 2012

Immediate action needed to address conditions of detention in Latin America
The UN Human Rights office calls for action by all States to meet agreed international minimum standards for human treatment and adequate conditions of detention.
22 February 2012

The power of art therapy for torture survivors
Torture “leaves scars on people, communities and entire societies that can be very difficult to heal,” says UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay.
24 June 2011

UN helps torture victims rebuild their lives
Torture survivors rebuild their lives at VIVRE CAPREC, a rehabilitation centre funded by the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.
25 May 2011

1st UN Human Rights Chief visit to Iceland
The UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay congratulates Iceland on its continuing interest in advancing human rights both at home and internationally
18 June 2010