Today a press-conference dedicated to the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture was held in Nizhny Novgorod. Human rights defenders told the journalists about the history of this day, about the problem of torture, interaction with the state authorities, and about the work of the Public Monitoring Commission for monitoring human rights observance at detention facilities.
As we have previously reported, in 1997, upon the recommendation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the UN General Assembly proclaimed 26 June the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. This day is established with a view to the total eradication of torture and the effective functioning of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, (1984), which entered into force on 26 June 1987.