NEW YORK - The Special Rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, warned UN Member and Observer States that today's wars are being marked by torture and other atrocities that stand in the way of peace and recovery.
"What I have seen and heard from survivors in the past year is nothing short of shocking: men and women scarred by electric shocks, severe beatings, sexual violence, and the agony of being filmed while tortured, their suffering weaponised as propaganda," Edwards said.
"I remind all States that even in times of war, torture and other inhumane acts are prohibited."
The Special Rapporteur's report to the General Assembly documented violations in 15 armed conflicts and situations of insecurity, including Russia-Ukraine, Gaza/Israel, Myanmar, Sudan and Yemen. She described "a dangerous resurgence of physical, psychological, and sexual torture, where cruelty has become a weapon of control and humiliation."
Edwards emphasised that States also have obligations toward their own soldiers "so they return from battle morally intact", and she called for defence budgets to incorporate clear strategies to prevent torture, with training, monitoring, and protection for whistle-blowers.
"When wars eventually end, the hard work of recovery begins," she said. "Where torture has been used, that rebuilding takes longer - requiring patient rehabilitation, truth-telling, and accountability." She spoke directly to Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Syria, to ensure reparations are available to all survivors and are not applied selectively.
"Torture is never a legitimate military tactic; it is always a crime," the expert said.
To remain effective amid today's fast-moving crises, the Special Rapporteur requested a new facility to allow flexible and rapid-response visits with forensic expertise.
The Special Rapporteur's report also identified 10 additional global trends, including hostage-taking, repression of political and religious dissidents, the use of experimental drug combinations in executions, corporal mutilation as criminal punishment, and violence against women and girls.
"Progress was observed in criminal justice and prison reforms. However greater investments in infrastructure, conditions and independent oversight are needed."
She warned of "excessive use of force and the mismanagement of less-lethal weapons resulting in deaths and serious injuries" during protests, calling for transparent global regulation of the trade and use of law-enforcement equipment.
"The extent of the violations must not defeat our resolve to eradicate torture, even in these most trying of times," she concluded. "The antidote to torture is peace, justice and progress."
