Torture is always a crime.

Under international law, the ban on torture is absolute. It applies in war, in times of emergencies and even to states that have not signed the Convention Against Torture. 

Yet it persists globally.

The end of Bashar Al-Assad’s rule has revealed further harrowing details about the widespread and systematic torture that took place in Syria for decades. Russian authorities continue to egregiously subject Ukrainian civilian detainees and prisoners of war to systematic and widespread torture as part of a coordinated state policy. 

Countless victims of torture, including of sexual violence, are left with a legacy of trauma.

Torture is not just hidden in dark cells. It happens in plain sight. Across the world, peaceful protests are being repressed with violence, including torture and other ill-treatment. 

Police brutality aimed at punishing or intimidating individuals exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly is unacceptable. All reports of excessive use of force, torture and other ill-treatment must be effectively and independently investigated. Those responsible for such acts must be brought to justice.

The EU is acting.

We are stepping up efforts to end the trade of goods to inflict torture. The European Commission has proposed to amend the EU’s Anti-Torture Regulation - the world’s first legally binding instrument regulating trade in torture-related goods - to address modern tactics, such as the misuse of goods in policing and detention.

The fight is urgent. Torture leaves deep scars — on persons, societies, and in justice itself. 

The UN Committee Against Torture and the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture must be properly funded and supported so they can continue to play a vital role in preventing violations and protecting victims.

The EU will continue to work with other actors, such as the United Against Torture Consortium, to ensure that torture, wherever it takes place, is documented, investigated, prosecuted, and punished, and to ensure that every torture victim has a right to acknowledgment, justice and reparation.

Today and every day, the EU stands in solidarity with all survivors of torture —and with those who defend human dignity in the face of cruelty.