PURPOSE: The aim of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture observed every year on 26 June, is to speak out against the crime of torture and to honour and support victims and survivors of torture throughout the world.The legal profession plays a vital role in preventing torture and ill-treatment, including in identifying, challenging, and excluding torture-tainted evidence. The exclusionary rule, which prohibits such evidence from being invoked as evidence in any proceedings, is clearly enshrined in international law, standards, and norms. Despite this, a gap in national implementation remains and routine reliance on torture-tainted evidence persists in many countries around the world.

FORUM: "Protecting protests: UN anti-torture mechanisms call for responsible and accountable policing of assemblies." International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 2025. On this International Day, the experts called to reaffirm our collective resolve to build a world free from torture or ill -treatment. Preventing unnecessary and excessive use of force by law enforcement officials in the context of peaceful protests not only safeguards individual dignity but also ensures that all people can exercise their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and participation in public life, without fear. By upholding these rights and embracing responsible and accountable policing, States can foster environments where peaceful assembly is genuinely respected, and where the voices of all are heard and protected. The current scale of torture and other forms of ill -treatment is alarming worldwide, with a particular trend of heavy-handed and sometimes brutal policing of protests. Many authorities increasingly treat peaceful protests as security threats, rather than recognizing them as the lawful exercise of fundamental rights. Over the past year, the misuse of less lethal weapons in assemblies has caused serious injuries and deaths of protesters. Brutal assaults, mass arbitrary arrests and detention, torture during interrogations, unlawful killings and enforced disappearances have also been recorded. The experts emphasized that any use of force must comply with the fundamental principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, precaution and non-discrimination and must be strictly regulated in accordance with applicable international standards, including the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials and the United Nations Human Rights Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement. At all times, persons exercising their Rights to peaceful assembly, association and expression are to be treated humanely and with dignity. Demonstrators, including human rights defenders, political opponents, journalists, workers, students and even bystanders have been exposed to risks of ill -treatment, compounded by an increased militarization of the police, which instils a climate of fear and intimidation, incompatible with the right to peaceful assembly. “Restrictions on civic participation are being worsened by the ongoing availability of law enforcement equipment that, by design or impact, is considered inherently abusive, or is being misused,” said Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. “ I am troubled by the ever-expanding development of torturous equipment. There must be limits placed on what equipment and weapons police and security forces can use against citizens. Support for an international agreement that regulates the use, manufacture and trade of certain items together with domestic implementation is sorely needed.” The anti-torture mechanisms have received worrying reports of the use of rubber -coated steel bullets, as well as water cannons, explosive grenades, defensive bullet launchers, pepper spray and other unknown chemicals being fired indiscriminately into crowds. An experimental acoustic weapon was allegedly used on protesters in one country, causing fainting, vomiting and disorientation. The experts recalled that States have a duty to conduct an independent legal review prior to deployment, to determine whether the use of a less -lethal weapon may, in some or all circumstances, be prohibited under international human rights law. Additionally, less lethal weapons must be handled responsibly, and only by those with proper training. States must further act promptly to ensure impartial and effective investigations into any complaint of torture and other ill-treatment.Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #Torture,  #26june, #AgainstTorture, #TorturevictimsDay.

EVENTS: On June 26th, the OHCHR, the United Nations Committee against torture, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur on Torture and other degraded treatments invite you join the Panel discussion to mark the 41th anniversary of the convention on torture and the International Day in support for the Victims of torture 2024 will be held at UNHQ in New York and Geneva. The stakeholders including United Nations Member States, civil society organizations, Non-Governmental organizations and individuals everywhere are invited to participate. As we mark the 41th anniversary of the Convention against Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and we get closer to its universal ratification, the UN anti-torture mechanisms jointly urge States which have not ratified the Convention to do so, and firmly call upon States parties to live up to their international obligations, recommitting to their pledge of a world free of torture.The experts welcomed proposals to develop international standards to prohibit the use, manufacture, and trade of weapons and law enforcement equipment, which have no other purpose than to cause excessive pain and suffering, and to strictly regulate those that can be misused to inflict harm.

STATEMENTS: “The four United Nations anti-torture mechanisms* have today issued a stern call for more responsible and accountable policing of protests amidst serious human rights violations. As civic space is increasingly shrinking, individuals seeking to exercise their right to peaceful assembly continue to be exposed to serious risks of torture and other ill -treatment, including through unnecessary and excessive use of force.”, noted the Chair of the Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. Read the Joint statement of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and the OPCAT Special Fund for Torture Prevention, the UN Committee against Torture, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and the Board of Trustees of the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture in commemoration of International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 2025; June 26th. l

PUBLICATIONS: Compilation of Torture Laws (Association for the Prevention of Torture): National laws (118 countries) relevant to the implementation of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) Explore the Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee against Torture for some countries.

Guide on anti-torture legislation. In each chapter, several elements that legislation should contain are listed. Argumentation on why those elements are needed is given after each element. When available, examples from various countries are given, to illustrate how States have legislated on those elements in their national legislation. The examples given are not exhaustive but are rather positive illustrations of national practice. Efforts were made to gather examples from countries in different regions, from different legal traditions and from countries with different languages. Direct quotes from articles are inserted whenever an official English translation exists. If this is not the case, the content of the legislation is summarised and links to the legislation in its original version are given in footnotes. After each chapter, a summary of all elements is given, clearly mentioning if the element is a primary element, a recommended element or an optional one.

PODCATS: "How holistic treatment can heal the wounds and facilitate justice and prevention."The Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991 - Imposes civil liability on anyone who, under actual or apparent authority or under color of law of any foreign nation, subjects any individual to torture or extrajudicial killing. Listen to the audio-podcasts!

Campaign Materials: Join 2025 Campaign “Protecting protests: UN anti-torture mechanisms call for responsible and accountable policing of assemblies.” Let’s make more effective the struggle against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment throughout the world. Get the campaign materials!