On October 14th, the Hon. Brien Horan, Senior Counsellor, addressed the Third Committee on the crucial issue of the Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment noted a dangerous resurgence of physical, psychological, and sexual torture in conflicts. She characterized cruelty as a deliberate weapon of control, humiliation, and terror, citing shocking evidence from survivors of severe beatings, electric shocks, and sexual violence, with their suffering often weaponized as propaganda. She documented violations across 15 armed conflicts, including Russia/Ukraine, Gaza/Israel, Myanmar, Sudan, and Yemen, emphasizing that torture is never a legitimate military tactic and that the prohibition against it is absolute, even in times of war. She urged States to ensure that military spending includes clear strategies for prevention, training, and protection for whistleblowers, insisting that justice must be available to all victims and survivors without selectivity.
The Rapporteur focused on the contradiction between the absolute prohibition of torture and the mixed enforcement reality, noting that accountability remains the exception rather than the rule. She drew attention to the conditions in detention, which are often overcrowded and neglected. Finally, she called for urgent action to regulate the trade of law-enforcement weapons and equipment to prevent their use in torture, encouraging Member States to join the movement towards a global torture-free-trade agreement.
Senior Counsellor Horan articulated the Order’s grave concern over the persistence of torture, which he characterized not merely as a violation of international law, but as a direct assault on the fundamental principle of human dignity. He forcefully condemned its widespread use in modern conflicts, emphasizing that sexual torture is a particularly heinous tactic designed to dehumanize and destroy communities, leaving behind moral and psychological wounds that result in generational trauma.
Driven by the core principles of impartiality and neutrality, the Order’s humanitarian relief agency, Malteser International, is actively engaged on the front lines. Senior Counsellor, Brien Horan, cited the Order’s persistent work in Haiti, a nation grappling with gang violence, where the Order’s teams provide essential medical care, nutrition, and food security, bearing witness to the very forms of torture and degrading treatment the UN seeks to eliminate.
He underscored that the effectiveness of the UN Convention Against Torture hinges on the political will of Member States and lamented the alarmingly low prosecution rate of perpetrators. Senior Counsellor Horan concluded by urging all nations to recommit to the universal values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
