I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture once again provides us with an opportunity to reaffirm our strong commitment to preventing and eradicating torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Sadly, this commitment remains acutely relevant in the Council of Europe where the use of torture continues to be reported in the territory of some of our member states.

Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine continues to stand out as the most egregious example of ongoing widespread and systematic use of torture, as documented by various international mechanisms including the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, and the OSCE Moscow Mechanism.

We reiterate our strongest condemnation of the ongoing violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. We stand in solidarity with the victims and survivors in Ukraine, as well as their families and communities affected. There can be no impunity and those responsible must be held to account.

The prohibition of torture is absolute and non-derogable, as follows from Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. All Member States of the Council of Europe have an obligation to prevent acts of torture, prosecute perpetrators, identify victims, and ensure reparation. However, torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment continue to be used, particularly in places of detention, and during interrogation or police custody and in the context of peaceful protests. 

The EU commends the work of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) in the fight against torture and takes note of its latest annual report.

In this context, we also recall the continued close cooperation between the European Union and the Council of Europe, including in the fight against any form of torture and ill-treatment. This cooperation remains central to our shared commitment to human dignity, justice, and the rule of law. 

In closing, we reaffirm our clear commitment to upholding the absolute prohibition of torture and to stepping up our efforts to end its use. The European Union will continue to work closely with the Council of Europe to maintain the topic high on our common agenda, and we will continue our joint efforts to end impunity for acts of torture.

The following countries align with this statement: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Ukraine and United Kingdom.