Amnesty calls on Sweden to save the world from torture

Ahead of the International Day Against Torture on 26 June, Amnesty International is calling on the upcoming Swedish Presidency of the EU to take on the challenge of tackling torture worldwide.

 “Sweden made a considerable impact on the EU’s broader human rights agenda during its last presidency in 2001. Amnesty International has high hopes this time round for a marked improvement on human rights and on the issue of torture in particular” said Lise Bergh, Secretary General of Amnesty International Sweden.

The last Swedish Presidency developed and adopted the EU Guidelines on Torture aimed at preventing torture or other ill-treatment worldwide. But since then, the international organisation claims that little has happened to make these commitments a reality and the guidelines are not widely implemented.

Amnesty International claims that in the context of the fight against terrorism, a lack of EU scrutiny and accountability for torture and other human rights violations committed by EU member states have undermined the EU’s commitment to uphold the absolute ban on torture worldwide.

Amnesty specially points out that member states have assisted or turned a blind eye to CIA rendition flights over their territories, shared information that has led to people being forcefully captured and tortured, failed to protect EU citizens or residents from torture and allowed the CIA to operate secret prisons in Europe.

It states that it is therefore unsurprising that third countries are now challenging the EU to reaffirm its own commitment to the absolute ban on torture before it can challenge them on their record.

“The EU’s leadership on the prevention of torture in its external relations has been compromised by the failure of EU member states to demonstrate outright  commitment to the ban on torture in their counter terrorism measures” said Nicolas Beger, Director of Amnesty International’s EU Office.

“EU member states including Sweden, Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK have used so-called diplomatic assurances, a practice that is in flagrant contradiction of EU efforts to fight torture” he added. 

Amnesty International is now looking to Sweden for renewed leadership and decisive action. It has identified three minimum measures which the Swedish Presidency should take to move the EU forward on this issue:
• adopt a strong EU position calling for full reparation to victims and accountability for anyone responsible for human rights violations in the context of EU complicity in the US led renditions and secret detention programme;
• show leadership to EU member states that do not currently provide national reports against EC regulation 1236/2005 on Trade in the Tools of Torture, by compiling a public national annual activity report to the European Commission in line with Article 13 of this regulation; and
•  actively carry out demarches under the EU Guidelines on Torture on at least two torture cases a month.