Twenty national and international NGOs joined forces in Tunis on the 26th June, International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, for commemorative celebrations organised by the World Organisation against Torture (OMCT).
On this occasion, the NGOs called on members of the National Constituent Assembly to pass the bill establishing the National Authority for the Prevention of Torture. The NGOs stressed that it is imperative for Tunisia to put in place preventive policies aimed at changing the culture and practices of the old regime. Such policies constitute guarantees of non-repetition of torture and ill-treatment and are as such essential in a transitional justice process. The creation of the National Authority for the Prevention of Torture (Tunisian National Preventive Mechanism under the OPCAT) will therefore be an important element in the fight against torture, together with ending impunity through criminal prosecution of perpetrators of torture.
The NGOs explained in a leaflet why it is essential to pass the law to establish the National Authority for the Prevention of Torture. The leaflet is available in Arabic and French.
