الاتحاد الأفريقي
African Commission on Human & Peoples' Rights
UNIÃO AFRICANA
Commission Africaine des Droits de l'Homme & des Peuples
31 Bijilo Annex Layout, Kombo North District, Western Region, P. O. Box 673, Banjul, The Gambia Tel: (220) 4410505 / 4410506; Fax: (220) 4410504 E-mail: au-banjul@africa-union.org; Web www.achpr.org
81st ORDINARY PUBLIC SESSION
OF THE
AFRICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLE'S RIGHTS
17 October - 6 November 2024
Intersession Report
Committee for the Prevention of Torture in Africa
Honourable Commissioner Hatem ESSAIEM
Chairperson of the Committee
INTRODUCTION
- This report is submitted in accordance with Rules 25 (3) and 64 of the Rules of Procedure (2020) of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Commission) which require each subsidiary Mechanism and each member of the Commission to submit, at every Ordinary Session of the Commission, a written report on the activities undertaken between two Ordinary Sessions.
- This report on the situation of torture and other ill-treatment in Africa is prepared in accordance with the terms of reference of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture in Africa (the Committee or CPTA) which mandates the Committee to monitor the implementation of the Guidelines and Measures for the Prohibition and Prevention of Torture, Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in Africa (the Robben Island Guidelines). The Robben Island Guidelines provide concrete guidance to State and non-State actors on how to implement Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (the African Charter) which states that: "Every individual shall have the right to respect for the inherent dignity of the human person and to recognition as a person before the law. All forms of exploitation and degradation of man, in particular slavery, traffic in persons, physical or moral torture, and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment shall be prohibited".¹
- I therefore submit this report in my capacity as Chairperson of the Committee, Member of the Commission and Country Rapporteur for the Republic of Benin, the Republic of Djibouti, the Republic of Mauritius, the Republic of Madagascar and the Republic of Sudan.
- This Report is presented at the 81st Ordinary Session of the Commission. It summarises the intersession activities carried out under the various mandates entrusted to me. This Intersession Report covers the period between the end of the 79th and the 81st Ordinary Session of the Commission, i.e. the period from 4 June 2024 to 16 October 2024.
- During the period covered by this report, I took part in all the activities set out in the Commission's Work Plan.
- The detailed account of these activities is contained in this report, which is structured in four parts, namely this introduction, the activities carried out during the intersession period, the report on the situation of torture and other ill-treatment in Africa and the recommendations.
¹ Article 5 of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights' <https://www.achpr.org/legalinstruments/detail?id=49>.