Description
Book SynopsisHow 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.
Trade Review"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
Table of ContentsPart 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
