Burundi ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture on 18 October 2013 and became the 70th State Party to the torture prevention treaty.
70 States have now ratified the OPCAT, and 21 additional States have signed the treaty. There are States Parties in all regions of the world - Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and North Africa.
By ratifying the OPCAT, States commit to make prevention of torture and other forms of ill-treatment a reality, by establishing independent and effective National Preventive Mechanisms to undertake regular visits to all places where persons are deprived of their liberty. To date, 51 States have established their NPMs.
The APT welcomes the important step taken by Burundi in ratifying the OPCAT, fulfilling the commitment made during its Universal Periodic Review by the Human Rights Council in January 2013.
