Amnesty Intl. on Chile: Concrete action needed to end torture

Amnesty Intl. on Chile: Concrete action needed to end torture

Prohibiting torture by law is not enough; concrete steps must be urgently taken to stop this horrendous practice from happening, said Amnesty International today on the eve of the UN Committee against Torture consideration of the third periodic report of Chile.

Even though during recent years the Chilean authorities have introduced a number of initiatives that seek to protect human rights, torture and ill-treatment are still reported in the country. Chile still fails to fully implement the obligations contained in the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention against Torture) to which it is a State party.

Amongst those initiatives, is the creation of the National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture, as a result of the human rights proposal made by President Ricardo Lagos in August 2003, to deal with the thousands of torture survivors from the years of military government.

"Amnesty International expects that all torture cases submitted to this National Commission will be examined and victims provided with the official recognition and reparation they have been awaiting over more than 20 years."

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http://news.amnesty.org/mav/index/ENGAMR220032004