PressEsc - Feature: Holding the Line in Fight against Torture: "‘We thought the absolute prohibition of torture was established, it was taken for granted that there was no more discussion left and now we have to start to explain it all from the beginning,’ Edouard Delaplace, of the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), said. He explains that with the strengthening of the normative framework the scope of the fight against torture has increased, however argues that the current threats indicate a reversion in the campaign.

Wendy Pattern US advocacy director for Human Rights Watch describes the current scenario as a ‘very troubling development that threatens to weaken the fundamentals of human rights’. She said that post 11 September, governments are attempting to redefine torture narrowly and justify it in the name of fighting terrorism.

‘Torture was always pervasive but what was more often the case before was that governments would not justify but try to hide it’, she said."

(Via PressEsc.)