4. Call upon all State Parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’
Rights (African Charter), which have not yet done so, to urgently criminalize
torture.
5. Call upon all State Parties to the African Charter to adopt an official zerotolerance policy with a view to ending impunity for perpetrators of torture
and serious human rights violations as well as to actively promote a culture
of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including by
supporting and undertaking public awareness campaigns and human rights
education of all relevant actors and at all levels;
6.
Call upon all State Parties to establish and maintain fully independent,
adequately funded and well-functioning NHRIs empowered and capacitated
to effectively contribute to the prevention of torture.
Plan of Action
The participants recommend the following measures as forming part of a Plan of
Action to implement the Johannesburg Declaration on the Prevention and
Criminalization of Torture. The document is addressed to governments, criminal
justice institutions, NHRIs, the African Commission as well as to non-governmental
organizations and associations working in the field of torture prevention. It is meant
to be a source of inspiration for concrete actions.
State Parties
State Parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (State
Parties), should take urgent steps to ratify and implement the Optional
Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture, and other Cruel,
Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT).
State Parties should develop and implement National Action Plans against
torture and secure sufficient funding to support these plans;
State Parties should ensure that there is coherence between international
obligations and national legislation and practice, including enacting
comprehensive anti-torture legislation that addresses the prohibition and
prevention of torture, the needs of victims, and the protection of witnesses.
This law should provide that individual perpetrators have personal
responsibility to compensate victims, though this should not detract from the
responsibility of the State to provide compensation to torture victims.
State Parties should identify and support champions to lead on the
criminalization of torture from amongst members of the legislature and