The OMCT mourns the passing of its former vice-president and friend, Dick Marty. His vision will guide us further.

The Executive Council of the OMCT, its Secretary General, its staff in Geneva, Brussels, and Tunis, and friends are saddened by the death of Dick Marty, our former vice-president, and for all of us at the OMCT, a friend.

Our thoughts today are with his family and closest friends.

Dick Marty left his mark on the OMCT as few others have. Vice-president from 2010 to 2019, he supported the organisation through his leadership, advice, and his active participation in its activities. We will not forget his many missions in Tunisia and other countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ivory Coast or when visiting places of child detention in the Philippines.

He shared with us his clear and unwavering vision of justice, his courage and clarity in addressing injustice wherever he saw it, and his commitment and faith in the global fight against torture.

His work on the CIA’s policies of rendition and torture will remain a benchmark in the global fight against torture. Dick marked the work of OMCT in many ways, notably through his unwavering commitment to the fight against torture in Tunisia following the Arab Spring and through his support for the OMCT’s Tunis office and the many missions he undertook.

For all of us, it is also a friend and true mentor who has left us, who inspired us and whose deep sense of humanity will be missed. We all believe that at times like these, the world needs the voice of Dick Marty – for justice, for human rights, for what is right.

Dick Marty may be gone. His vision stays. It will be our light to guide us further.

May your soul rest in peace, Dick!

This statement is issued on behalf of the OMCT, its secretariat and all its staff in Geneva, Brussels and Tunis, the members of the OMCT Executive Council, the General Assembly and its current and former Presidents.