The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Tuesday organised a demonstration outside the Lahore Press Club to mark International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
The protesters, including lawyers, activists, academics and students, were chanting slogans against enforced disappearances. They urged the government to implement the United Nations Convention against Torture (UNCAT) that would criminalise custodial torture.
HRCP members said that Pakistan had not defined and criminalised the custodial torture as per the UNCAT recommendations. “The right to protection against cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment applies in all circumstances, with no exceptions whatsoever. This is fundamental to what it means to be a civilised state,” said a HRCP statement.
Published in Daily Times, June 27th 2018.
