Publications

REDRESS and the Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI) made this submission as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Lithuania, which was held in November 2016. This submission focuses on concerns regarding the lack of follow up following the country‘s last UPR in 2011 in relation to Lithuania‘s complicity in, and facilitation of, the USA‘s Central Intelligence Agency‘s Rendition, Detention and Interrogation Program. The submission is based primarily on the experiences of the organisations pursuing truth, justice and accountability on behalf of Mustafa al-Hawsawi, who was allegedly detained in Lithuania during his detention in this program.

Namibia is in the process of reviewing its criminal law framework with a view to incorporating the crime of torture in its domestic legislation in accordance with its international obligations. The “Prevention and Combating Torture bill”, which will address this issue, is currently pending in Namibia. In this report, REDRESS provides comments regarding the draft bill to its authors, the Namibian Law Reform and Development Commission. Our comments draw on our recent analysis of anti-torture legislative frameworks in seven African countries, including Namibia, which form the basis of our report “Legal Frameworks to Prevent Torture in Africa”.

This report presents an in-depth assessment of the anti-torture legal frameworks in place in seven countries in South and West Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda. The report identifies best practices, shortcomings and the key components of an effective anti-torture legislative framework, particularly in light of international and regional standards, including the UNCAT and the Robben Island Guidelines. This report forms part of our regional project, “Anti-Torture Legislative Frameworks: Pan-African Strategies for Adoption and Implementation”.

This joint submission from 2016, authored by REDRESS, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the World Organisation against Torture (OMCT), calls on the UN Committee Against Torture to further investigate the purported progress of the United States in the effective implementation of their international obligations in the past year. Focusing particularly on two subjects of concern identified by the Committee - “Inquiries into allegations of torture overseas” and “Guantanamo Bay detention facilities” - this submission finds that the US government has not taken sufficient steps over the past year to ensure independent and impartial investigations into all credible allegations of torture carried out post-9/11, to afford “effective redress” to Guantanamo detainees who suffered well documented torture and ill-treatment, or to address the expansive findings of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report on the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Programme.

This report sets out the main areas of discussion of an expert consultation roundtable organised by REDRESS with a range of stakeholders in Abuja, Nigeria, regarding the draft anti-torture law currently under review in the country. Participants included representatives of the Nigerian Law Reform Commission, National Human Rights Commission, the Bar Association, civil society organisations, and other expert organisations. Following previous workshops in Nigeria organised by the Human Rights Implementation Centre (HRIC) of the University of Bristol in 2014 and 2015, during which earlier drafts of the anti-torture Bill were discussed, this workshop formed part of REDRESS’ 10-month project with the HRIC regarding anti-torture legislation in a number of states in Africa. 

REDRESS alongside various other human rights groups, wrote to the Minister of Defence to express serious concern following recent criticisms made by the British Government against human rights lawyers engaged by the Iraqi Historical Allegations team (IHAT), the body set up to investigate human rights crimes allegedly committed in Iraq. REDRESS states that such criticisms - including comments by the Prime Minister that have called these allegations “spurious” - could be construed as attempted interference into the importance and extremely serious work of what is meant to be an independent investigation. REDRESS has since received a response from the Minister of Defence regarding the issue.

REDRESS, alongside several international civil society organisations, has signed a joint letter to the UN Special Rapporteur of the International Law Commission on Crimes against Humanity, in order to seek an opportunity to provide input in the drafting of a possible Convention on Crimes against Humanity. In particular, we call for any draft to include provisions on Universal Jurisdiction; particularly, to oblige states parties to exercise jurisdiction when a person, suspected of responsibility for crimes against humanity, is found on their territory, and to permit States to initiate investigations based on universal jurisdiction over crimes against humanity suspects, regardless of where such persons are physically located.    

REDRESS submitted comments to the UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) on the key issues which the United Kingdom should address when it provides its 6th Periodic Report to UNCAT in May 2017. The list of issues include concerns over the investigation of war crimes and torture allegedly committed by British soldiers in Iraq; allegations of UK complicity in torture in the context of its counter-terrorism activities; the indefinite or lengthy immigration detention of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, and their treatment in detention, and the lack of prosecution of torture suspects who come within the UK’s jurisdiction.