June 29th, 2010 by Jennifer

A group of civil society organizations issued a joint statement on Saturday calling on the government to “demonstrate their firm opposition to torture and other forms of ill-treatment… To condemn these practices unreservedly and to make clear to all members of the security forces that torture and ill-treatment are not tolerated.” The statement received the endorsement of Amnesty International and six domestic NGOs, and was released on the occasion of International Day for the Support of the Victims of Torture. The statement claimed that “in Lebanon, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are still resorted to by state security officers and non-state actors,” despite the country’s ratification of the UN Convention against Torture (CAT) in 2000 and the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention of Torture (OPCAT) in December 2008.

Human Rights groups pointed to the fact that the Lebanese government has yet to establish a National Preventative Mechanism (NPM), an independent body whose creation is required by OPCAT and that has the authority to inspect detention centers without prior notification. They also objected to the State’s failure to produce a report on the situation in the country, an obligation under its CAT commitments.

Posted in Human Rights, Lebanon, NGOs |