The primary purpose of this visit by the Special Rapporteur between 17 and 21 of April was to engage with officials and experts regarding a counter terrorism law that is intended to replace the state of emergency, scheduled to end on 28 May 2010. A full public report on Egypts counter-terrorism law and practice is expected by the end of 2009. The report, which will contain a set of findings and recommendations, will then be considered by a future session of the Human Rights Council. In this context, the Rapporteur discussed with authorities his wish to visit Egypt again in the near future for the purpose of finalizing the report.
Joint Study on Secret Detention
The Joint Study aims to produce new findings regarding the nature and scope of secret detention practices. The Joint Study will examine the practice or permission of secret detentions to operate on the territories of States from various geographical regions, taking into account domestic, regional and global efforts to counter-terrorism. In addition to thematic reporting on facts and events, the Joint Study will also include a legal analysis of the framework for the operation of secret places of detention, and findings as to the extent to which persons have been tortured or subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment at such places.
It is anticipated that the two Special Rapporteurs will produce a Joint Report containing recommendations regarding these practices, aimed at curbing the resort to secret detention and the unlawful treatment of detainees in the context of contemporary counter-terrorism efforts.
If you wish to submit information to this Joint Study, please send a secure message to the rapporteurs at this website. Contact details will be kept confidential. Any follow up contact regarding the information will only be done by those working on the study. Submissions in English are preferred but can be submitted in the other official languages of the United Nations, if possible, with a brief summary in English. Submissions are welcome up to 1 May 2009.
The Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, Martin Scheinin, was appointed to this mandate in August 2005 and is a Professor of Public International Law at the European University Institute.
The Special Rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak, was appointed to this mandate in December 2004 and is a Professor of International Human Rights Law at the University of Vienna and Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights. This is a secure website.
