Manfred Nowak
Manfred Nowak
Manfred Nowakis an Austrian human rights lawyer, who served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture from 2004 to 2010. He is Scientific Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Human Rights, and a former judge at the Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia and Herzegovina...
detention facility include interviews speak spot
Fact-finding on the spot has to include interviews with detainees. What's the sense of going to a detention facility and doing fact-finding when you can't speak to the detainees? It's just nonsense.
accept accepted access condition confident detainees invitation since spirit states united
The only condition that we did not accept was that we would have no access to detainees and I am very confident that since we accepted the invitation in the spirit of compromise, the United States will compromise,
convincing eu
It is important that the EU (plays) its part in convincing the U.S..
against both continuing dissidents evidence forces opponents particular people police practice security
I think there is ample evidence that both police and other security forces have been and are continuing to systematically practice torture, in particular against dissidents or people who are opponents of the regime.
admit concern finally interest particular people strong system
My particular concern is the strong interest of the system that people finally admit guilt.
body endured particular starts weak
I think that described very, very well the situation. You get very, very weak because of not being able to move, and being in this particular position, of course, your whole body starts hurting. He endured it, but he felt, and I would agree, that this was torture.
decline practice remains though urban widespread
The practice of torture, though on decline particularly in urban areas, remains widespread in China.
feeding forced hunger level means reach ways
In forced feeding of hunger-strikers, if the accusations are true, the ways and means reach the level of torture.
brought country court either judged origin released
Either they should be released or brought before an independent court in the U.S. or in the country of origin to be judged there.
danger detention higher ill risk secret
Every secret place of detention is usually a higher risk for ill treatment, that the danger of secrecy.
impartial means
It only means that there is need for an impartial and independent investigation.
cannot mission talking
It makes no sense (to go). You cannot do a fact-finding mission without talking to the detainees.
speak
They say they have nothing to hide. If they have nothing to hide, why should we not be able to speak with detainees?
areas carefully concluded considered easily human law rights several situation
We very, very carefully considered all of the arguments posed by the US government. There are no conclusions that are easily drawn. But we concluded that the situation in several areas violates international law and conventions on human rights and torture.