On Monday 16 September, the EU Council adopted revised guidelines on “EU policy towards third countries on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”.
According to the conclusions of these guidelines, they provide practical guidance to the EU institutions and Member States, in particular on the wide range of tools that can be used in their engagement with third countries and in multilateral human rights fora.
In the conclusions, the EU Council recalls the strong commitment of the EU and its Member States to combat torture and other ill-treatment worldwide, “in line with relevant international and regional treaties and standards on human rights, including on the administration of justice and the conduct of armed conflict”.
The EU will continue to strongly condemn the use of torture and other ill-treatment by state and non-state actors, wherever and in any form, using all the instruments at its disposal, it warns.
The EU's comprehensive approach to the eradication of torture focuses on four elements included in the guidelines: prohibition, prevention, liability and reparation for victims.
See the conclusions: http://bit.ly/2mj2cYm and the guidelines: http://bit.ly/2lYw2Rx (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)