Juan Méndez
Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
In 1985, the UN Commission on Human Rights appointed a special expert to examine questions relevant to torture, such as identifying victims and investigating incidents of torture and human rights violations. Juan Méndez began a three-year term as special rapporteur on November 1, 2010. The following is excerpted from Méndez’s August 22, 2011, address to the Human Rights Council Special Session on Human Rights in Syria. Since the beginning of the protests in Syria, we have persistently urged the government to put an end to the violence. Most recently, we have denounced that the scale and gravity of the…
