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Commission welcomes NZ appointment to UN torture subcommittee
The Human Rights Commission welcomed the election of Justice Lowell Goddard to the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture today.
Justice Goddard, the chair of the Independent Police Conduct Authority, was elected to the subcommittee in Geneva, this morning (New Zealand time) with substantial support from a range of countries.
Chief Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan said, “The election of Justice Goddard reflects the high regard for her ability and judgement and the credibility with which New Zealand has assumed its responsibilities under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT).
Fifty-five countries, including New Zealand, have signed up to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), which establishes the subcommittee.
By doing so they agree to grant the subcommittee unrestricted access to their national facilities. Subcommittee members play a vital role in preventing torture throughout the world, inspecting places of detention, and making recommendations and observations concerning the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty. States are required to examine the recommendations of the subcommittee and enter into dialogue with it on possible implementation measures.
Under the Optional Protocol, the Human Rights Commission is a designated National Preventive Mechanism along with the Independent Police Conduct Authority, the Ombudsman, the Children’s Commissioner and the Inspector of Service Penal Establishments. The 2010 annual report of activities under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture for New Zealand will be published by the Commission shortly.