The Urgent Action Network
International Documents
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- Treatment of Prisoners
- Protection from Torture
- Protection of all Persons From Torture
- U.N. Declaration on the Protection of all Persons From Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment of Prisoners
-
- Article 2: Any act of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is an offense to human dignity and shall be condemned as a denial of the purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and as a violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- Article 4: Each State shall, in accordance with the provisions of this declaration, take effective measures to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment from being practised within its jurisdiction.
- Article 8: Any person who alleges that he has been subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment by, or at the instigation of, a public official shall have the right to complain to, and have his case impartially examined by, the competent authorities of the State concerned.
- Article 9: Wherever there is reasonable grounds to believe that an act of torture has been committed, the competent authorities of the State concerned shall promptly proceed to an impartial investigation even if there has been no formal complaint..
Amnesty International seeks observance of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. It may prove effective for UA participants to become familiar with these documents and refer to them in some appeals. In cases of torture, refer to the United Nations Declaration on the Protections of all Persons from Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1975.