NCHR calls for additional legal protections for victims of torture

AMMAN — The National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) on Monday proposed that a legal clause be instituted to guarantee more rights for victims of torture in Jordan.

The Centre put forth the proposal on the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, which is marked annually on June 26. 

“We are calling for more legal guarantees by including a legal clause that would secure financial compensation and the establishment of a special fund to support victims of torture,” said Chairperson of the NCHR Board of Trustees Samar Haj Hassan.

Haj Hassan added that the legal cause would also encourage securing psychological and physical support for these victims.

“The centre’s annual reports focus on addressing issues related to the rights of freedom, safety and physical integrity of people residing in Jordan,” Haj Hassan explained.

Haj Hassan told The Jordan Times: “The reports also focus on the implementation of the Jordanian government's obligations under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel or Inhuman Treatment or Punishment."

Jordan ratified and published the Convention in the Official Gazette in 2006.

“The NCHR issued a statement today that touches on the essence of the Convention that calls for full compensation for victims of torture,” Haj Hassan said.

The NCHR statement, which was made available to the press, stressed the fact that the Jordanian Constitution prohibits torture and other forms of ill-treatment or punishment. 

Article 8 Paragraph 2 of the Constitution stipulates that: “Any person who is arrested, detained, imprisoned or whose liberty is subject to any restriction shall be treated with dignity, safeguarded from any form of torture or bodily or mental harm and held in no place other than a legally designated holding facility. Any statement obtained from any person by means of torture or the use of harm or threats shall be deemed invalid.” 

“Article 208 of the Penal Code imposes light sentences in incidents of torture and the penalty is increased only in cases of death or permanent disabilities,” the NCHR report stated. 

The Penal Code should “seriously criminalise cases of torture and ensure that is not included in the general amnesty,” the NCHR statement stated.

The statement also called for designating special investigators “to probe claims of torture in the country”.