UN Treaty Bodies

The UN human rights treaty monitoring system currently consists of eight primary Committees with the responsibility to monitor state compliance with their respective treaties. Six of these Committees have the mandate to consider individual communications against states who have ratified the relevant treaty and explicitly recognized this competence of the Committee. [1] In relation to torture cases, the two main bodies of interest are the Committee against Torture (CAT) and the Human Rights Committee (HRC) both of which have rendered a high number of decisions on torture related issues. First, it is worth noting that both bodies have a relatively strict victim status requirement meaning that only the victim or a person authorized by the victim can file an application. If the victim is physically prevented from filing, the victim’s family will acquire this competence. [2]

The Committee against Torture (CAT)

The Committee against Torture monitors the implementation of the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment by State parties. Read more

The UN Human Rights Committee

The Human Rights Committee monitors the implementation by State parties of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Protocols to the Covenant. Read more

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1. The formal recognition is either done through the ratification of an optional protocol or through declaration under a specific provision of the core treaty.

2. Sarah Joseph, Katie Mitchell, Linda Gyorki, Seeking Remedies for Torture Victims – a Handbook on the Individual Complaints Procedures of the UN Treaty Bodies, OMCT Handbook Series Vol. 4 (2006) p. 57