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Par Engstrom Co-edits New Publication Aimed at Addressing Torture Prevention Gap in Latin America
1 April 2020
A collection of articles by multidisciplinary professionals who have worked in collaboration with the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) to promote the effective prevention, documentation and investigation of torture in the region.
Edited by Verónica Hinestroza Arenas (IBAHRI), Fabio de Sa e Silva and Par Engstrom, the book is divided into two parts:
- part 1 examines the significant gaps that exist between the formal commitments of Latin American states to the eradication of torture and the practice of torture in the region.
- part 2 highlights potential for political and institutional innovation, such as the creation of a Universal Protocol for non-coercive interviews, in the fight against torture in the region.
IBA President Horacio Bernardes Neto states: ‘This collection of essays provides a stark and unsettling insight into the challenges Latin American countries are facing in addressing torturous practices. As the authors stress, whilst robust legal protections have an important role to play in the prevention of torture, we must now pay closer attention to the informal practices and structural conditions that enable torture and ill-treatment in Latin America. A more holistic perspective, involving state actors, medical professionals and lawyers, holds the key to halting the spread of torture and other human rights violations.’
Read the complete International Bar Association (IBA) press release here.
Dr Par Engstrom is Associate Professor in Human Rights at UCL Institute of the Americas.