International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 2026: Joint statement to the OSCE

Denmark, on behalf of the UK and 38 other countries, reaffirm commitment to the absolute prohibition of torture, condemning its continued use across the OSCE region, including by Russia and Belarus.

"Thank you, Mr. Chair,

I have the honour of delivering this statement on behalf of the following 40 participating states: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia Herzegovina, Canada, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the European Union and its Member States, including my own country, Denmark.

The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture provides us with an opportunity to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to prevent and eradicate torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The prohibition of torture under international law is absolute and unconditional.

Civil society organisations, human rights defenders, media and international bodies have all reported the use of torture by a number of participating States. There can be no doubt that torture is a grave assault on human dignity. Yet worryingly, such acts continue to be perpetrated in the OSCE region.

Such practices stand in stark contrast to the spirit of the Helsinki Final Act and to the human rights commitments that all participating States have undertaken since.

Various international mechanisms, including the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, and ODIHR report that members of Russia's forces have committed widespread and systematic acts of torture and ill-treatment against prisoners of war and civilians.

Staggering accounts from Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees describe torture and ill-treatment experienced during detention by Russian authorities clearly indicating patterns of systemic abuse.

In addition, the lack of Russian cooperation with independent international monitoring mechanisms is alarming. Constrained access to places of detention and external verification denies redress for the victims. This is a continuation of the abuse.

In Belarus, the UN Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in 2026 documented widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment. This includes beatings, electric shocks, forced psychiatric treatment, sexual violence, and inhumane detention conditions.

We condemn these gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the strongest possible terms. We regret the decision of the Russian Federation to withdraw from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (ECPT) and urge them to reconsider before the withdrawal becomes effective by November this year.

We recall the commitments by all participating States undertaken in the 2020 Tirana Ministerial Council Decision on the Prevention and Eradication of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and call for their full implementation throughout the OSCE region.

These commitments are unequivocal: no exceptional circumstances, whether armed conflict, security concerns or states of emergency, can ever justify torture. We welcome the Swiss Chairpersonship's important work developing a Roadmap on the Prevention and Eradication of Torture in the OSCE region.

Mr. Chair,

Torture does not end when the act itself ends. It leaves victims and survivors with deep, long-lasting trauma, affecting them both physically and psychologically. And its impact extends to families, communities, and societies as a whole.

Fighting torture and ensuring accountability requires a joint effort, grounded in a victim- and survivor-centred approach. Victims and survivors must have access to effective remedies, including justice, redress and rehabilitation.

This includes ensuring access to appropriate medical, psychological and social support, particularly for victims of sexualized torture, conflict-related sexual violence and other forms of gender-based abuse.

We welcome the survivor-centred approach reflected in the Charter of Rights of Victims and Survivors of Torture as presented by the UN Special Rapporteur on torture. Independent and impartial efforts to document, investigate and prosecute such violations remain essential. The relevant OSCE,

UN and other international accountability mechanisms play an important role in this regard. To this end we recognize the important, autonomous mandate of ODIHR and their valuable contributions towards efforts to combat torture and uphold human rights across the OSCE region.

We urge the participating States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the UN Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) as well as its Optional Protocol (OPCAT)

Mr. Chair,

We as participating States must continue to advance our efforts. And in these efforts, the needs of victims and survivors have to come first.

We further encourage investigation and documentation of allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, including sexual violence, to align with the Méndez Principles that outline Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information Gathering.

We urge all participating States to use all appropriate measures to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment and to apply international standards such as the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the so-called Bangkok Rules), the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (the so-called Beijing Rules) and the UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty.

Mr. Chair,

In closing, we jointly reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the absolute prohibition of torture and to strengthening our efforts to eradicate its use across the OSCE region. We owe that to the people of our region. I thank you."