«The term "torture" means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.» Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

In 2010, according to a recent worldwide study, torture was still practiced in more than half of the planet's countries. Unfortunately, Lebanon is also part of this half that still resorts to this practice.

Indeed in Lebanon, recent statistics show that 60% of the persons having been subjected to arrest and investigation between 2009 and 2010 complained of having been tortured.

However, torture has no deterrent effect (it does not decrease the criminality in the countries where it is practiced), and hinders the proceedings of the judiciary as suspects investigated under torture are forced to sign pre-prepared confession statements.

Victims of torture remain traumatized from their painful experience for the rest of their life and this not only affects their social reintegration but it also jeopardizes the citizens' trust in the security and judiciary systems.

Lebanon is bound by its international commitments to prohibit torture and ill-treatment such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture, the latter ratified by Lebanon in 2000. Regrettably, the Lebanese legislation falls short in defining and criminalizing these practices.

On December 22, 2008, Lebanon ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), but has not yet complied with its provision calling for the creation of a national preventive mechanism (NPM) to visit and monitor places of detention.

On the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, our organizations would like to denounce the frequent practice of torture in Lebanon, to request the Lebanese State to take appropriate measures to prevent it and to express their solidarity with the victims.

Signatories:

• CLDH (Lebanese Center for Human Rights)

• ALEF (Lebanese Association for Education and Training)

• ALKARAMA for Human Rights