Washington D.C. Protest against torture at Guantánamo Bay (Image by Justin Norman via Flickr)
The right to be free from torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment is one of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering (physical and/or mental) on a victim, usually to punish or obtain information.
Cruel/inhuman treatment is that which causes serious pain or suffering (physical and/or mental) to the victim.
Degrading treatment is treatment that provokes feelings of humiliation, inferiority, or fear and anguish in the victim.
Thirty-eighth session of the UN General Assembly, where drafting of the convention continued (via UN Photo)
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 1984
The United Nations adopted the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 1984. This human rights treaty aims to combat cruelty and torture worldwide. Learn more >
Anti-torture activists protest against Guantanamo Bay (Getty Images via Al Jazeera)
Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture, 1985
The Organization of American States adopted the Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture in 1985. The document was created in response to the UN convention passed the year earlier and defines torture more expansively than its UN counterpart. Learn more >