|
Back to Index
Statement
on the International Day in Support of Torture Victims
Students
Solidarity Trust (SST)
June 25, 2004
26th
June is the International Day in Support of Torture Victims, established
by the UN in recognition of the plight of the victims of torture. Zimbabwe
has many victims of torture from the civil wars, the political disturbances
and a general disregard of people’s rights over the past three decades.
Students
are frequently a group that is at risk of torture due to the legitimate
involvement of young persons in political activity. This has been the
case in the past, especially during the Liberation War, and continues
to be the case today.
Amongst
the many victims of torture in the most recent past are students, and
the Students Solidarity Trust tries to assist both these victims as well
as those who have been expelled from institutions of higher education
because of their political beliefs and human rights defense work.
The
UN Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading
Treatment and Punishment recognizes that torture cannot be justified for
any reason whatsoever. Other international human rights instruments, such
as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights, recognize the rights of individuals to
participate in legitimate political and civil activity, and to be protected
against torture.
The
Students Solidarity Trust deplores the torture and extra-judicial killing
of students. Furthermore, the Students Solidarity Trust deplores the political
violence, harassment, and intimidation of students, as well as the expelling
of students from institutions of higher education for merely exercising
their rights to legitimate civil and political activity.
On this important
day, the Students Solidarity Trust wishes to emphasis the rights of victims
of torture, and most strongly endorses the position adopted by the United
Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection
of Minorities in the Revised final report on the question of the impunity
of perpetrators of human rights violations (civil and political), Economic
and Social Council, E/CN.4/Sub.2/1997/20/Rev.1, October 1997; namely,
that victims are entitled to the following rights:
- The right to know;
- The right to justice;
- The right to reparation
(as restitution, compensation and rehabilitation);
- The right to non-recurrence.
The Students Solidarity
Trust strongly endorses the Declaration and the Summary of the Johannesburg
Symposium (2003) as the most practical expression of the above rights,
and calls upon the Government to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture
with immediate effect.
Visit the SST fact sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
