03.04.17
Reports

Joint NGO submission regarding the Revised General Comment no. 1 (2017) on the non-refoulement prohibition

31 March 2017 - OMCT, along with 8 other international NGOs (The Alkarama Foundation, Amnesty International, the Association for the Prevention of Torture(APT), DIGNITY - Danish Institute Against Torture, the International Federation of Action byChristians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT), the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), theInternational Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) and the Redress Trust (REDRESS)) submitted comments to the Committee against Torture (CAT) for its consideration in the framework of the process which will lead to the adoption of a revised General Comment No. 1 on the implementation of Article 3.

In the joint submission textual changes on the preliminary draft published by CAT on 2 February 2017 are suggested with a view to strengthening and clarifying guidance provided to States parties for the effective implementation of the prohibition of refoulement under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

In the last few years, with migration pressures increasing around the world, new conflicts emerging and an aggressive counter-terrorism debate portraying foreigners and migrants as unwanted or security threats, the OMCT has warned against an increase of transfers to torture and ill-treatment, calling for the development of a clear, comprehensive and systematic set of guidelines on how to enforce the prohibition of refoulement and how to put in place effective remedies against it - including reparation.