Torture has long been denounced by the international community; the need to protect citizens from abuse at the hands of the state is a principle enshrined in international law. One area where abuse is common is within the correctional system and as a result, there is a need for oversight in places of detention. The Optional Protocol to the UN’s Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) is an international human rights instrument that acts as a preventive measure to monitor all places of detention through regular visits. Supportive of the OPCAT since its adoption, Canada has considered signature/ratification since 2002 but has yet to commit. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that have led to a delay in Canada becoming State Party to the OPCAT despite adherence to the principles that this instrument embodies. A policy analysis framework was utilized to conduct stakeholder interviews and review government documents. The concept of agenda-setting received special attention and content analysis of media reports and a review of government legislative activity were conducted to provide insight into the prevalence of the issue on the public and political agendas. The author argues that while there are real challenges that policymakers must overcome, the absence of political leadership has resulted in stagnation in the decision-making process. As a result, the issue has disappeared from both the public and political agenda. In order for progress to be made, political will must be created and the impetus to act (‘re-setting the agenda’) must come from civil society in the absence of government engagement on this issue.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2009. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 48-02, page: .

Torture has long been denounced by the international community; the need to protect citizens from abuse at the hands of the state is a principle enshrined in international law. One area where abuse is common is within the correctional system and as a result, there is a need for oversight in places of detention. The Optional Protocol to the UN’s Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) is an international human rights instrument that acts as a preventive measure to monitor all places of detention through regular visits. Supportive of the OPCAT since its adoption, Canada has considered signature/ratification since 2002 but has yet to commit. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that have led to a delay in Canada becoming State Party to the OPCAT despite adherence to the principles that this instrument embodies. A policy analysis framework was utilized to conduct stakeholder interviews and review government documents. The concept of agenda-setting received special attention and content analysis of media reports and a review of government legislative activity were conducted to provide insight into the prevalence of the issue on the public and political agendas. The author argues that while there are real challenges that policymakers must overcome, the absence of political leadership has resulted in stagnation in the decision-making process. As a result, the issue has disappeared from both the public and political agenda. In order for progress to be made, political will must be created and the impetus to act (‘re-setting the agenda’) must come from civil society in the absence of government engagement on this issue.

This limited scope dissertation deals with the protection against torture in international law. The mechanisms which have been established over the years to protect individuals against torture are analysed. The principles of international customary law dealing with torture and the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) have been examined against the failure by States to honour their obligations under the Treaty and other legal normative rules. This required deep exploration of the definition of torture and how States can compromise the rule of law by manipulating the definition of torture as contemplated by the Treaty or other instruments. Examples from the former US government highlight the ways in which domestic laws can be used and are continued to be used to allow the use of torture. Measures by South Africa in joining the international community in the fight against torture are also discussed as a case study. While all efforts have been made by the South African system to adopt desirable frame works on the protection of individuals against torture, the lack of education on torture remains the down fall of the system. The dissertation clearly explains that universal jurisdiction applies in respect of torture and this is recognised by both treaty law and customary law. Indeed despite all the current measures in place the use of torture persists. The research clearly reveals that countries hide behind their own laws to perpetrate acts of torture. It is then recommended that proper implementation of the legal structures, informed of the objectives of the structures, is essential in completely eradicating torture. / Public, Constitutional, and International Law / LLM

This limited scope dissertation deals with the protection against torture in international law. The mechanisms which have been established over the years to protect individuals against torture are analysed. The principles of international customary law dealing with torture and the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) have been examined against the failure by States to honour their obligations under the Treaty and other legal normative rules. This required deep exploration of the definition of torture and how States can compromise the rule of law by manipulating the definition of torture as contemplated by the Treaty or other instruments. Examples from the former US government highlight the ways in which domestic laws can be used and are continued to be used to allow the use of torture. Measures by South Africa in joining the international community in the fight against torture are also discussed as a case study. While all efforts have been made by the South African system to adopt desirable frame works on the protection of individuals against torture, the lack of education on torture remains the down fall of the system. The dissertation clearly explains that universal jurisdiction applies in respect of torture and this is recognised by both treaty law and customary law. Indeed despite all the current measures in place the use of torture persists. The research clearly reveals that countries hide behind their own laws to perpetrate acts of torture. It is then recommended that proper implementation of the legal structures, informed of the objectives of the structures, is essential in completely eradicating torture. / Public, Constitutional, and International Law / LLM

The object of this thesis is to study the attempts made by writers and filmmakers in two very different socio-cultural contexts to depict and elucidate the experience of political violence, particularly torture, in the periods 1954-1962 and 1976-1983. I seek to apply the hypotheses of Anglo-American and French theorists with an interest in historical representation, as well as trauma, to both 'realist' and experimental accounts of the widespread oppression that occurred during the Algerian war of independence and later during the so-called 'Dirty War' in Argentina. The texts analysed in detail include novels and short stories by Kateb Yacine, Assia Djebar, Julio Cortázar and Luisa Valenzuela; the films I examine most closely are the Algerian-Italian 'docudrama' La Bataille d'Alger and the Argentine melodrama La historia oficial. However, the thesis also addresses other non-factual portrayals of brutality, such as the Nouvelle Vague's meditations on decolonization, and autobiographical writings, such as military memoirs and survivors' testimony, as a means of elaborating more fully on the issues at stake in the works cited above. It explores the difficulty - and the possibility - of giving voice to histories that simultaneously resist and demand articulation, and ultimately, of reconstituting the fragmented or 'disappeared' subject through narrative: of using fiction to summon the 'ghosts' of the past.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:20:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Auxiliadora de Almeida Cunha Arantes.pdf: 1554087 bytes, checksum: 2cbbb11a5ab676f9b17bec5352b8875e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-10-24 / This work aims at the theoretical approach of torture as a practice that runs through and remains in the history of humans. The sustainment of torture through the ages, despite the continuous process of cultural development, presupposes the existence of an intrinsic obstacle to the humans that prevents its exclusion from the realm of civilization. The search of the obstacle to the ultimate eradication of torture is the main objective of this work. Being essentially a human practice, the theoretical framework consists of the Freudian texts referring to culture and texts of contemporary thinkers who wrote about the cruelty and destructiveness as intrinsic to the relations between men. The approach to torture has been possible from testimonies and narratives of events where this was an extreme practice. The work focuses on the testimony of former political prisoners tortured during the civil-military dictatorship in Brazil and adds information about the state of exception that prevailed during this period. The reference to history is adressed through events at different times, which makes evident that the practice is age-old, despite the civilizational efforts to prohibit it. In the closing remarks, are expressed the main conclusions: torture is an act that only humans do and practice throughout history; the torturer who exercises it is fully aware of what is and therefore is responsible for his crime of extreme cruelty; and finally, the finding that the psychic inscription of torture cannot be erased, for nothing that once formed can perish / Este trabalho tem como objetivo a abordagem teórica da tortura como uma prática que percorre a história dos humanos, e que se mantém. A sustentação da tortura ao longo dos tempos, apesar do processo contínuo de desenvolvimento da cultura, faz supor que há um empecilho intrínseco aos humanos que impede sua exclusão do campo da civilização. A busca deste entrave à erradicação definitiva da tortura é o principal objetivo deste trabalho. Sendo uma prática essencialmente humana, o referencial teórico é constituído pelos textos freudianos que se referem à cultura e textos de pensadores contemporâneos que escreveram sobre a crueldade e a destrutividade como intrínsecos às relações entre os homens. A aproximação com a tortura foi possível a partir de testemunhos e de narrativas de acontecimentos onde esta foi uma prática extrema. Privilegio os testemunhos de ex-presos políticos que foram torturados durante a ditadura civil-militar no Brasil e acrescento informações sobre o estado de exceção que vigorou nesse período. A referência à história é abordada através de acontecimentos em diferentes períodos, o que torna evidente que a prática é milenar, apesar dos esforços civilizatórios que a proíbem. Nas considerações finais, estão expressas as principais conclusões: a tortura é um ato que só os humanos praticam e o fazem ao longo da história; o torturador que a exerce é plenamente consciente do que faz e por isso é responsável pelo seu crime de extrema crueldade; e, finalmente, a constatação de que a inscrição psíquica da tortura não se apaga, pois nada do que uma vez se formou pode perecer

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:53:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Auxiliadora de Almeida Cunha Arantes.pdf: 1554087 bytes, checksum: 2cbbb11a5ab676f9b17bec5352b8875e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-10-24 / This work aims at the theoretical approach of torture as a practice that runs through and remains in the history of humans. The sustainment of torture through the ages, despite the continuous process of cultural development, presupposes the existence of an intrinsic obstacle to the humans that prevents its exclusion from the realm of civilization. The search of the obstacle to the ultimate eradication of torture is the main objective of this work. Being essentially a human practice, the theoretical framework consists of the Freudian texts referring to culture and texts of contemporary thinkers who wrote about the cruelty and destructiveness as intrinsic to the relations between men. The approach to torture has been possible from testimonies and narratives of events where this was an extreme practice. The work focuses on the testimony of former political prisoners tortured during the civil-military dictatorship in Brazil and adds information about the state of exception that prevailed during this period. The reference to history is adressed through events at different times, which makes evident that the practice is age-old, despite the civilizational efforts to prohibit it. In the closing remarks, are expressed the main conclusions: torture is an act that only humans do and practice throughout history; the torturer who exercises it is fully aware of what is and therefore is responsible for his crime of extreme cruelty; and finally, the finding that the psychic inscription of torture cannot be erased, for nothing that once formed can perish / Este trabalho tem como objetivo a abordagem teórica da tortura como uma prática que percorre a história dos humanos, e que se mantém. A sustentação da tortura ao longo dos tempos, apesar do processo contínuo de desenvolvimento da cultura, faz supor que há um empecilho intrínseco aos humanos que impede sua exclusão do campo da civilização. A busca deste entrave à erradicação definitiva da tortura é o principal objetivo deste trabalho. Sendo uma prática essencialmente humana, o referencial teórico é constituído pelos textos freudianos que se referem à cultura e textos de pensadores contemporâneos que escreveram sobre a crueldade e a destrutividade como intrínsecos às relações entre os homens. A aproximação com a tortura foi possível a partir de testemunhos e de narrativas de acontecimentos onde esta foi uma prática extrema. Privilegio os testemunhos de ex-presos políticos que foram torturados durante a ditadura civil-militar no Brasil e acrescento informações sobre o estado de exceção que vigorou nesse período. A referência à história é abordada através de acontecimentos em diferentes períodos, o que torna evidente que a prática é milenar, apesar dos esforços civilizatórios que a proíbem. Nas considerações finais, estão expressas as principais conclusões: a tortura é um ato que só os humanos praticam e o fazem ao longo da história; o torturador que a exerce é plenamente consciente do que faz e por isso é responsável pelo seu crime de extrema crueldade; e, finalmente, a constatação de que a inscrição psíquica da tortura não se apaga, pois nada do que uma vez se formou pode perecer

La notion de crimes contre l’humanité s’est affirmée au lendemain de la seconde guerre mondiale. Elle a pris une dimension nouvelle au tournant de la décennie 90. Le génocide rwandais, puis les crimes commis contre les populations civiles albanaises en ex-Yougoslavie, sont passés par là ; ils ont alimenté les débats, soulevés des inquiétudes, et semblent avoir réveillé la « conscience humanitaire » de la « communauté internationale ». Ce réveil coïncide aussi – et ce n’est pas un hasard – avec la fin d’un monde bipolaire (chute du mur de Berlin, effondrement de l’URSS et dislocation des pays du bloc de l’Est). Ainsi, la résurgence du concept de crimes contre l’humanité intervient dans un monde en rupture profonde ; une rupture qui ne manque pas de produire ses effets sur le sens, la définition et la portée du concept. Autrement dit, l’idée de crimes contre l’humanité se déploie dans un monde mouvant où le Droit, plus que jamais, se heurte à la souveraineté des États et aux intérêts stratégiques et géopolitiques des « Puissants », comme en témoigne la gestation difficile de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI). Plus concrètement, les rapports de force tiennent une place importante et continuent de gérer les relations internationales, même dans un domaine qui, en principe, devrait être consensuel : les crimes contre l’humanité. Dans ce contexte, il n’est pas surprenant de voir certains pays accusés de crimes contre l’humanité (le Soudan, la Somalie, la Serbie, la Libye…), mais pas d’autres (crimes commis dans les territoires palestiniens, tortures et crimes commis par l’armée américaine en Irak…). Cette thématique, reposant sur l’idée que la force du droit se heurte au droit de la force, pourrait justifier l’idée selon laquelle le concept de crimes contre l’humanité, tel qu’il se manifeste aujourd’hui, est loin d’être un concept tout à fait neutre. De là découle la formulation de notre hypothèse : alors que les crimes contre l’humanité apparaissent comme un concept en quête d’identité, son application s’avère difficile et à « géométrie variable ». / The notion of crimes against humanity asserted itself after the Second World War. It took a new dimension in the bend of the 90's, after the Rwandan genocide, then the crimes committed against the Albanian civil populations in ex-Yugoslavia. Those events fed the debates, raised anxieties, and seem to have woken the " humanitarian consciousness " of the " international community ". This awakening also coincides - and it is not a fate - with the end of a bipolar world (fall of the Berlin Wall, collapse of the USSR and dislocation of the countries of the east block). So, the resurgence of the concept of crimes against humanity intervenes in a world in deep break; a break which produce its effects on the sense, the definition and the impact of the concept. In other words, the idea of crimes against humanity spreads in an unstable world where the right, more than ever, collides with the sovereignty of States and with the strategic and geopolitical interests of "Powerful", as shows of it the difficult gestation of the International Criminal Court (CPI). More concretely, the balance of power holds an important place and continue to rule the international relations, even in a domain which, in theory, should be consensual: the crimes against humanity. In this context, it is not surprising to see certain countries accused of crimes against humanity (Sudan, Somalia, Serbia, Libya), wheras others crimes and tortures (those committed in the Palestinian territories or by the American army in Iraq...) remain unpunished. This theme, basing on the idea that the power of right collides with the law of the strongest, could justify the idea according to which the concept of crimes against humanity is far from being a completely neutral concept. From there ensues the formulation of our hypothesis: while the crimes against humanity appear as a concept in search of identity, its application turns out difficult and seems to vary according to circumstances (variable-geometry).

1 Abstract Extraordinary Renditions and Human Rights Ing. Petr Švepeš The topic of this thesis is Extraordinary Rendition as the phenomenon of contemporary counter- terrorism strategies and its critical reflection in light of International Human Rights Law. Extraordinary Rendition represents a controversial method of obtaining intelligence information about terrorist activities carried out worldwide by the CIA. This method is based on the identification of terrorist suspects who might know valuable intelligence, followed by their tracing and subsequent kidnapping with direct assistance or connivance of the state in whose territory that person is located. Kidnapped persons are secretly transported by private jets via the "global spider's web" to a selected country which practices advanced interrogation techniques using various methods of torture. In this country the persons are incommunicado imprisoned and interrogated by local authorities. Extracted intelligence information is then passed on to the CIA and the suspects in this country are either criminally charged and indicted, further imprisoned without formal charges or simply "disappear." The main objective of this thesis is to present a detailed human rights analysis of Extraordinary Rendition and to identify potential violations of binding norms of...