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

The Convention against Torture is a United Nations treaty adopted by the General Assembly in December 1984, which entered into force in 1987. It defines torture as severe pain or suffering intentionally inflicted by or with the consent of a public official for purposes such as obtaining information or punishment. States that join it agree to prevent torture in their territory, to criminalise it, and not to send a person to a country where he or she would be at risk of it. Unlike some other human rights rules, no exceptional circumstances such as war or public emergency can justify torture. A committee of independent experts reviews state reports, and a later Optional Protocol set up a system of inspections of places of detention.

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