Torture and the law - D-F

The IBA Human Rights Law Committee is currently working on a podcast series looking at both obvious and overlooked aspects of litigating and documenting torture, in an ‘A-Z’ format.

The second episode, now available, covers D-F: deprivation; the exclusionary rule; and forensics.

During this second episode, the hosts interview the distinguished Argentinian jurist and activist, Professor Juan Méndez. Professor Méndez, a torture survivor and prisoner of conscience, set up the Americas Program for Human Rights Watch, was the Commissioner for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, was appointed as the first UN Special Advisor on the prevention of genocide and served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture from 2010 until 2016.

This episode will focus on his ground-breaking work in this field, including the recent promulgation of the ‘Mendez principles on effective interviewing for investigations and evidence gathering’. These principles, based on extensive consultations with legal, medical and security experts, seek to eliminate the use of torture, coercion and duress during law enforcement interviews, by setting out clear guidelines for obtaining accurate and reliable information, in a manner that is fully consistent with internationally recognised human rights standards.