NGOs call for national law to reflect torture convention

Two human rights NGOs in the Republic of Congo have called on the government to integrate into the national law, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment that the country ratified on 1 September 2003. In a statement issued on Friday, the Observatoire congolais des droits de l'Homme (OCDH) and the Association pour les droits de l'Homme et l'univers carceral, said that Brazzaville's ratification of the convention marked a decisive turning point in the fight against torture in the country. Congo's ratification of the convention followed a campaign launched by OCDH and the Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'Homme, following a conference held in late January. However, despite its ratification, the NGOs said that torture and inhumane treatment by the police remained a serious problem in the country. "Torture by security forces and by the police in particular has become common practice. It has become a means of punishing suspects or extracting confessions," OCDH said in its periodic bulletin, Lumiere. The convention was adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1984, and came into force on 26 June 1987. [For the complete convention, go to www.unhchr.ch]