Committee against Torture considers initial report of Lebanon
▻http://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/committee-against-torture-considers-initial-report-lebanon
Committee Experts commended Lebanon for its strong will to maintain the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms despite the particularly tense situation in the country and the region, and for the creation in 2012 of a committee to fight torture and other inhumane practices in places of detention. They inquired about the expected date when a bill defining and criminalizing torture in line with the Convention would be passed and urged Lebanon to ensure the absolute prohibition of torture, clearly define sentences for offenders, and remove any statute of limitations for crimes of torture. The systematic nature of acts of torture was an issue of grave concern: it was reported that more than 60 per cent of detainees suffered torture during arrest, particularly those arrested for crimes against national security. Experts raised concerns about military courts which had a very wide-ranging scope and competence and could try civilians, even children in some cases; the existence of places of secret detention used both by the State and non-State actors; the ill-treatment of domestic workers and lack of their protection under the kafala system; and the problems in the enjoyment of fundamental legal guarantees such as arbitrary detention, lack of access to a lawyer, and unlimited or long-lasting detention.