IMPROVING THE MECHANISM FOR THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (Art. 5, Universal Declaration of Human Rights). According to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, torture means: ... any act by which a person is intentionally subjected to severe physical or mental pain or suffering, in particular in order to obtain from this person or from a third party information or confession, to punish him for an act which he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, to intimidate or pressure him or her to intimidate or to put pressure on a third party, or for any other reason based on any form of discrimination, when such pain or suffering is applied by a public official or any other person acting officially or at the instigation or with the express or tacit consent of such persons. No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms). This article was prepared by the Institute for Democracy (Moldova) and is funded by the European Union under the EIDHR (European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights). The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union