SEEKING REMEDIES FOR TORTURE VICTIMS
A HANDBOOK ON THE INDIVIDUAL COMPLAINTS PROCEDURES
OF THE UN TREATY BODIES
AUTHORS:
Sarah Joseph, Katie Mitchell and Linda Gyorki: Parts I – IV
Carin Benninger-Budel: Part V
REVISED AND UPDATED:
Helena Solà Martín: Parts I – IV
Carin Benninger-Budel: Part V
Print: Sté Crea Concept
Layout: mostra-design.com
First edition: November 2006
Second edition: April 2014
© 2014 World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
ISBN: 2-88894-050-7
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
P.O. Box 21
8, rue du Vieux-Billard
CH-1211 Geneva 8
Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 22 809 49 39
Fax: +41 (0) 22 809 49 29
E-mail: omct@omct.org
Website: http://www.omct.org/
SERIES EDITOR: Helena Solà Martín
DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS: Gerald Staberock
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) coordinates the activities of the SOS-Torture Network, which
is the world’s largest coalition of non-governmental organisations fighting against torture and ill-treatment,
arbitrary detention, extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances, and other serious human rights violations.
OMCT’s growing global network currently includes 311 local, national, and regional organisations in 92 countries
spanning all regions of the world. An important aspect of OMCT’s mandate is to respond to the advocacy and
capacity-building needs of its network members, including the need to develop effective international litigation
strategies to assist victims of torture and ill-treatment in obtaining legal remedies where none are available
domestically, and to support them in their struggle to end impunity in states where torture and ill-treatment
remain endemic or tolerated practices. In furtherance of these objectives, OMCT has published a Handbook Series
of four volumes, each one providing a guide to the practice, procedure, and jurisprudence of the regional and
international mechanisms that are competent to examine individual complaints concerning the violation of
the absolute prohibition of torture and ill-treatment. This updated edition of the Handbook on seeking remedies
for torture victims through the individual complaints procedure of the UN treaty bodies is the fourth volume
of the series.