UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) Archives - TRIAL International

Political opponent in Burundi tortured and held for ransom

Communication Department — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 12:43:42 +0000

A case submitted by TRIAL International to the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) shows just how vulnerable opponents of Burundi’s government are. Emmanuel (real name withheld) joined an opposition party when Burundi’s former president, Pierre Nkurunziza, was still in power. Under Nkurunziza’s rule, human rights defenders, journalists, and members of the opposition (both real and […]

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Testimonies: when international bodies finally deliver justice

Communication Department — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 08:49:43 +0000

Aimable and Emery both suffered a sadly similar fate: victims of torture by Burundian authorities in 2006 and 2007, they were forced into exile to survive. Following many years of legal battles alongside TRIAL International, the decisions of the UN Committee against Torture finally brought them justice (in January 2018 and January 2017 respectively). Emery […]

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Fight against impunity: Tunisia shirks its international commitments once again

Communication Department — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 08:50:44 +0000

Press release For immediate release ACAT, OMCT and TRIAL International express their dismay over the decision of the Tunis Court of Appeal in the Rached Jaïdane case. This judgment seems to sound the death knell for transitional justice in that the acts of torture suffered by Rached Jaïdane in 1993, and during the 13 […]

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Fight against impunity: will Tunisia respect its commitments?

Communication Department — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 11:09:51 +0000

Tomorrow, on the 13 December, the Tunis Court of Appeal will deliberate on the fate of the torturers of Rached Jaïdane, who was arrested and tortured in 1993 and during his 13 years of imprisonment. On 11 September, the Committee against Torture condemned Tunisia for violating the Convention against Torture by ensuring the impunity of […]

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Between a rock and a hard place: wartime victim still denied reparation

Communication Department — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 09:26:53 +0000

Mrs. A. (real name withheld) was raped during the war. Now she is stuck between unenforced compensation and stringent statutes of limitation, leaving her effectively powerless to access reparation. TRIAL International is taking a case to the UN Committee Against Torture. In 1993, Mrs A. was raped by a member of the Republika Srpska army. As […]

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Newsletter october 2017

Communication Department — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 15:05:49 +0000

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United Nations Committee Against Torture Condemns Tunisia

Communication Department — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 13:57:42 +0000

The UN Committee Against Torture has condemned Tunisia for the abuses inflicted on Rached Jaïdane, and accuses the State of having violated the Convention Against Torture by leaving these deeds unpunished. A fundamental decision in a context where transitional justice stalls and is jeopardized by a government keen to sweep past crimes under the carpet. […]

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Burundi: a “standardised crisis”?

Communication Department — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 10:42:00 +0000

An op-ed by Pamela Capizzi The country showed no sign of improvement in 2016, perpetuating a detrimental situation for human rights. By definition, a crisis is a transitional state. In Burundi, however, the “crisis” has lasted for almost two years and seems anything but transitional. Widespread repression is here to stay. In 2016, the political situation […]

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Nepal: Anti-Torture Draft Bill raises concerns for victims

Communication Department — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 11:27:31 +0000

The government’s proposal to criminalize torture is riddled with loopholes, as illustrated in the fictitious case of human rights defender Bilash. Nepal acceded to the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) in 1991, thereby committing itself to criminalizing torture, preventing its occurrence and redressing victims. Until today, the country failed to fulfill this obligation. Torture […]

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Newsletter October 2016

Communication Department — Wed, 05 Oct 2016 09:04:58 +0000

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Morocco: the fight against impunity requires more than promises

Communication Department — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 14:42:55 +0000

A recent decision of the Committee against Torture confirmed that States must do much better than vague promises to uphold their obligations. When a human rights complaint is filed before an international mechanism, most States claim that the applicant has failed to exhaust domestic remedies (that is, try all legal avenues at the domestic level) […]

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CAT Special Examination of Burundi

Communication Department — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 15:43:23 +0000

Burundi must put an end to ethnic violence and the use of force against protesters, and report in October on its fight against impunity, the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) concluded after a special review of the country. In its Concluding Observations, the Committee called on Burundi to ensure the protection of citizens belonging to the “ethnic minority” […]

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Burundi’s missed opportunity risks closing off dialogue

Communication Department — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 10:04:35 +0000

An op-ed by Pamela Capizzi Burundi deserted its examination before the United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) midway. One can only regret this missed opportunity for an open and honest dialogue. The CAT’s 58th session has been remarkable in many respects. Firstly, the experts decided to examine Burundi in a special procedure – this had […]

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UN examination of the Burundi: civil society condemns a human rights crisis

Communication Department — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 23:00:34 +0000

Geneva, 26 July 2016 – A coalition of Burundian NGOs[1], with the support of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT), TRIAL International, the Centre for Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) and DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project) have […]

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Tunisia: Victory at the UN for a torture victim

Communication Department — Tue, 14 Jun 2016 13:54:40 +0000

Last month, the United Nations Committee Against Torture condemned Tunisia for the torture of Canadian-Tunisian national Taoufik Elaïba. The case was brought by TRIAL International in partnership with ACAT-France. A father of four, Taoufik Elaïba was arrested in 2009. Having been tortured by the National Guard for six days, he signed a “confession” obtained under […]

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Rached Jaïdane: victim of torture

Communication Department — Tue, 17 May 2016 10:34:59 +0000

Rached Jaïdane Wrongly suspected of inciting an attack against the party in power, Rached Jaïdane, a former political opponent, was arrested in Tunisia in 1993. Among the acts of cruelty that he suffered during his detention, Rached Jaïdane was punched, kicked and beaten with truncheons all over his body; he was subjected to the “roast […]

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Severe torture inflicted on Mr. Nouar Abdelmalek

Ling Cao — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 16:41:33 +0000

Introduction In July 2009, TRIAL filed an individual communication against Algeria before the United Nations Committee against Torture on behalf of Mr. Nouar Abdelmalek. M. Nouar Abdelmalek joined the Algerian army in 1990. Within the context of the widespread violence causing havoc in Algeria during the nineties, he refused to obey orders to carry out […]

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Torture and death of Mr. Djilali HANAFI in November 1998

Ling Cao — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 16:10:16 +0000

The Case In April 2008, TRIAL filed an individual complaint on behalf of Sahraoui Hanafi, who was acting for his brother, Djilali Hanafi, to the UN Committee against Torture. Djilali Hanafi was arrested and detained for two days at the police headquarters (Dark Al Watani) in Mechraa Sfa (Algeria). Whilst being detained, he was subject […]

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Case Omar N’dour v. Morocco

Ling Cao — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 12:54:03 +0000

Introduction In November 2014, TRIAL and ASVDH (Saharawi Association of Victims of Grave Violations of Human Rights Committed by the Moroccan State) submitted a communication to the Committee against Torture on behalf of Mr. Omar N’dour. On 8 November 2010 Moroccan security forces dismantled the Saharawi protest camp known as Gdeim Izik, near El Aaiún, […]

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Torture of Mr. Taoufik Elaïba in September 2009

Ling Cao — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 12:10:00 +0000

Introduction Arrested and tortured in September 2009 On 1 September 2009, Taoufik Elaïba – a Tunisian and Canadian national – was violently arrested by National Guard officers and taken to the police station of Laaouina in Tunis. For 11 days – exceeding the legal time limit for police custody –, he was tortured and detained […]

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