Tackling Torture: Prevention in Practice

by Malcolm D. Evans

Overview

How big a problem is torture? Are the right things being done to prevent it? Why does the UN appear at times to be so impotent in the face of it? In this vitally important work, Malcolm D. Evans tells the story of torture prevention under international law, setting out what is really happening around the world. Challenging assumptions about torture’s root causes, he calls for what is needed to enable us to bring about change. The author draws on over ten years’ experience as Chair of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture to give a frank account of the remarkable capacities of this system, what it has achieved in practice, or not been able to achieve – and most importantly, why.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529225686
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	10/24/2023
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x (d)

About the Author

Malcolm D. Evans is Principal of Regent’s Park College, Oxford. He was formerly Professor of Public International Law at the University of Bristol and Chair of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture. In 2015, he was appointed KCMG for services to the prevention of torture and the promotion of religious liberty, having previously been awarded the OBE in 2004.

Table of Contents

Part 1: The Solution 1. What Is Torture? 2. Why Prevention? 3. Establishing the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture 4. What the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture Requires 5. The Visiting Mandate of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture 6. The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and National Preventive Mechanisms Part 2: The Problem 7. Visits: An Insider’s Story 8. Accepting the Unacceptable 9. Excusing the Inexcusable 10. Prescribing the Inappropriate 11. Working with Fictions 12. Thinking Positively about Prevention

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“An enlightening read. Evans shares invaluable insights and reflections on the OPCAT and the SPT, before expertly and engagingly taking us to the heart of torture prevention in the field.” Lutz Oette, SOAS University of London

“Combining legal expertise and experience in UN treaty bodies, Evans tackles the tensions between the vision of universality and the practical reality of preventing torture in this important book." Silvia Casale, former President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture

"A really truthful account of what ‘torture prevention’ is in practice, from the perspective of someone who has been ‘in the job’ from the UN side for over a decade. It is impossible to put down, an incredibly brave book and well overdue." Elīna Šteinerte, member of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and former Chair Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

“Preventing torture ought to be 100% effective. Unfortunately, this is still not so. Evans’ book gathers what we need to know and do to make it work.” Jens Modvig, DIGNITY: Danish Institute Against Torture and former Chair of the UN Committee against Torture

Editorial Reviews

"Writing eloquently and accessibly, Evans dwells on the readily achievable. This is an essential text for those interested in questions of detention, monitoring and anti-torture." Human Rights Law Review

From the Publisher