Manfred Nowak, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, has condemned torture in Africa and said that he is astonished at the low-level of awareness of the seriousness and gravity of torture by politicians and law enforcement officials in Africa.

This, he said, is vividly illustrated by insufficient provisions that prohibit and prevent torture. He stated that the gravity of violation has remained a significant deficit in the commitment and cooperation by states to tackle the problem of torture. Mr Nowak, made this remark at the ongoing 40th Ordinary Session on the African Commission on Human and People’s Right, currently taking place at the Kairaba Hotel.

He disclosed that 60 per cent of African State parties to the Committee Against Torture (CAT), have not submitted their initial report on their efforts to implement their obligations. He said it is important for all state parties to include constitutional and legislative measures, as well as ratify the treaties. He stressed that states must demonstrate their commitment to implement these obligation, by ensuring effective investigations and prosecution of allegations of torture, ‘upported by penalties commensurated with the gravity of torture, and appropriate compensation and rehabilitation for victims’.

Furthermore, he asserted that global human rights problems could be addressed effectively by concerted and well-coordinated cooperation between the United Nations and regional organisations, such as African Union, and by division of labour between governments, civil society and independent expert bodies. “It is the responsibility of NGOs and human rights defenders to openly address human rights problems, raise awareness and lobby for governments to take appropriate actions,” he said.

Meanwhile, he called on all governments to ratify optional protocol to the convention against torture and offer cooperation with the African Commission in order to promote their implementation by organising workshops on the establishment of national preventive mechanisms.