Washington D.C. Protest against torture at Guantánamo Bay (Image by Justin Norman via Flickr)

The right to be free from torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment is one of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

  • Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering (physical and/or mental) on a victim, usually to punish or obtain information.

  • Cruel/inhuman treatment is that which causes serious pain or suffering (physical and/or mental) to the victim.

  • Degrading treatment is treatment that provokes feelings of humiliation, inferiority, or fear and anguish in the victim.

Primary Source Documents

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Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 1984
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 1984

In 1972, the non-governmental organization Amnesty International launched a campaign against torture and lobbied for the creation of a UN declaration against all forms of torture and cruelty.   As a result, the United Nations adopted the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 1984.  This human rights treaty aims to combat cruelty and torture worldwide.

The document requires signatory states to prevent torture within their countries and to refuse the return or extradition of individuals to places where it is likely that they will be tortured.

Since its adoption, the document has been ratified by over 150 nations and serves as a guide for the creation of both domestic and international law. Read document >

Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture, 1985
Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture, 1985

The Organization of American States (OAS) adopted the Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture in 1985.  It is one in a series of documents by the OAS to protect human rights in the Americas.  The document was created in response to the UN convention passed the year earlier and defines torture more expansively than its UN counterpart. Read document >