Guidebook on Enquiry into Torture published by the NGO Committee Against Torture

The Committee against Torture has published a methodological material concerning procedure of the public enquiry into torture which is used by the Committee in its HR activities. The book contains a summary of the material of the Russian-language publication and is intended for English-speaking persons.

It  is devoted to a description of the method of public enquiry into torture and other serious fundamental human rights violations. This method was developed by the Committee and is currently adopted by multiple other non-governmental human rights organisations. The first attempt of this method structured presentation has been undertaken in the pages of this book, being a kind of summary of the 10 year long history of work of the Committee and its partners.

The method in question can, first of all, be considered as a form of public control, which is to be developed for the investigation of facts of torture and cruel treatment. Nevertheless, it can be successfully applied for the purpose of developing new legal routes for protection from other types of serious fundamental human rights violations (such as murders, unlawful detentions and abductions) and to successfully counteract them.