New HRW report on British complicity in torture in Pakistan

The 46-page report, “Cruel Britannia: British Complicity in the Torture and Ill-treatment of Terror Suspects in Pakistan,” provides accounts from victims and their families in the cases of five UK citizens of Pakistani origin — Salahuddin Amin, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Rangzieb Ahmed, Rashid Rauf and a fifth individual who wishes to remain anonymous — tortured in [...]

Chairperson of the Committee Against Torture- summary of draft general comment No. 3 (Implementation of a systematic approach to the evaluation of facts and evidence for the individual complaints procedure under articles 3 and 22)

Read it here.

Philippines signs anti-torture law

President Gloria Arroyo has signed the anti-torture act of 2009 that prohibits the use of solitary confinement as well as secret detention places, blindfolding of suspects, and the use of electric shock treatment during interrogation.
The law, also known as Republic Act 9745, defines torture as an act wherein severe pain or suffering is intentionally inflicted [...]

US defense department head bars public disclosure of detainee abuse photos

[JURIST] US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday invoked his authority to bar public disclosure of about 40 photos depicting the abuse of Afghan and Iraqi detainees by US soldiers. The move was followed by a notification and request by the Obama administration asking the US Supreme Court  to set aside the decision of the [...]

UK official criticizes High Court for ordering release of torture evidence

UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Director of Defense and Strategic Threats, Simon Manley, criticized Britain’s High Court Thursday for jeopardizing national security by ordering the public release of evidence of alleged torture of terrorism suspects. Manley accused the British judges of eroding trust between UK and foreign security officials, which he said would limit [...]

Report of UN Special Rapporteur on Counterterrorism on his mission to Egypt

An advanced edited version of the UN Special Rapporteur’s report on Egypt is out now. (A/HRC/13/37/Add.2, 14 October 2009). It will be discussed at the Human RIghts Council’s Thirteenth Session in March 2010.

In this report the Special Rapporteur examines the emergency law, criminal law provisions on terrorist crimes, and amended article 179 of the Constitution [...]

CSIS agent describes Khadr extradition vs rendition debate between Pakistan, US and Canada

A CSIS agent testified in the extradition case of Abdullah Khadr, brother of infamous Omar Khadr. The agent said that the Americans wanted to render Khadr to a U.S.-run foreign prison – perhaps Guantanamo Bay or one of the undisclosed “ghost sites” – but that the Canadians and Pakistanis refused to consent to his transfer. [...]

Abdelrazik sues Canada for its alleged role in his arrest and torture

Abdelrazik’s suit seeks 24 million Canadian dollars (22 million US) from Ottawa alleging the government’s involvement in his detention and torture, and three million dollars (2.76 million US) from Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon for “misfeasance in public office.”
It claims the foreign minister “deliberately and flagrantly violated (Abdelrazik’s) constitutional right to enter Canada, and his legal [...]

Interesting articles

Beth van Schaack – International Criminal Law & its Enforcement
This chapter, to appear in the 2nd edition of Beth Van Schaack & Ron Slye’s International Criminal Law & Its Enforcement (Foundation Press 2010), covers the crime of torture under international criminal law. It begins with a doctrinal discussion of the elements of torture as elucidated [...]

3 Top UN Torture Experts call for proactive measures taken by United Nations treaty bodies to prevent torture

In an exchange of views with Claudio Grossman, Chairperson of the Committee against Torture; Victor Manuel Rodriguez Rescia, Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture; and Manfred Nowak, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, speakers in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) expressed support for proactive [...]