Amnesty International marks International Day in support of victims of torture

Ghana joined the world to commemorate the International day in support of victims of torture on Tuesday, 26th June 2018.

The day which is set aside by the United Nations to speak out against the crime of torture as well as to honor and support victims and survivors throughout the world.

Speaking at an event organized by Amnesty International Ghana,the Country Director, Robert Akoto Marfo urged the government to take steps in addressing any form of torture and ill treatment in the country.

“Amnesty International Ghana welcomes steps taken by the government to address torture and ill-treatment in the country, such as ratification of the optional protocol to the convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” he said.

According to him, it is about time the government took the 2015 recommendations by the UN special rapporteur on torture in Ghana serious, adding that, the UN special rapporteur made observations that the police and some intelligence services continued to use torture and other ill-treatment in investigating allegations.

“The rapporteur noted that there was no significant lessening of overcrowding in detention centers or improvement in conditions of detention such as poor sanitation and inadequate nutrition,” he said.

He added that “Amnesty International Ghana calls on the authorities in Ghana to continue to take steps to prevent torture in Ghana”.