A Proibição da Tortura e a Luta contra o Terror no Estado de Direito

ACED — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:04:10 +0000

Início:2006-10-13 09:00

Fuso horário:Etc/GMT

Detalhe:

Realizar-se-á, em Berlim, 13 e 14 de Outubro 2006, uma conferência internacional para lutar pela abolição da tortura, quando em Junho último entrou em vigor o Protocolo Adicional à Convenção contra a Tortura, tratamentos degradantes e desumanos promovido pela ONU.

As línguas oficiais são o alemão e o inglês. Caso existam interessados portugueses em número que justifique, a organização disponibilizará tradução para português. Concentração das inscrições para antonio.dores@iscte.pt até Julho.

Segue o programa em inglês:

The prohibition of torture and the „war on terror” – being deprived of rights in a state com-mitted to the rule of law
Joint conference of Holtfort-Stiftung, Association of Republic and Lawyers (RAV) and Amnesty International (AI) on October 13th and 14th 2006 in Berlin

According to the current annual report of Amnesty International torture is practised in over onehun-dred states around the world. Among the countries that treatened their prisoners with electro-shocks and other cruelties are notorious Human-Rights-Violaters like Belarus, Russia, Turkey, Iran and Indonesia, partly dictatory, partly undemocratic regimes, but also countries that hold elections. Worse enough. But since September 11th 2001 even countries, that generally act on democratic principles, practise torture – in the name of democracy, of national security and of the protection of human lives. In the United States it is tried to redefine the term “torture”. Psychological torture, for example using stress techniques or deprivation of sleep or food, are getting accepted. International law is declared adaptive but at the same time particular prisioners or groups of prisoners are ex-cluded from any protection – a dual standard is created. In Germany the government and the poli-ticians try to underline the absolutness of the prohibition of torture. But the minister of interior Schäuble makes a dangerous proposal: Informations achieved under torture are allowed to be used to protect national security. The German public authority responsible for aliens deportes peo-ple into states that practise torture, German courts extradite to states that practise torture. German Intelligence Service interrogate German citizens in prisons where torture is practised and German officers discuss about exceptions from the prohibition of toture by police law.
The prohibition of torture ist one of the most important achievment of the rule of law and one of the pillars of the international legal protection. International conventions and the national protective law try to curb the disastrous individual and social consequences of torture. But everywhere the prohi-bition of torture is under consideration. It has to be fought for the defense of the prohibition of tor-ture und the protection of tortured people.
On the event, being arranged by the Holtfort-Stiftung, RAV and amnesty international and lasting two days, social scientists, psychologists und jurists discuss the several aspects of this topic form their different angles and put the German debate into international context. Taking a look on the American discussion about and practise of torture will point out the danger of giving up the abso-lute prohibition of torture. The reports about and the pictures of Abu Ghraib have to be a serious warning for everybody.

Location: Berlin House of Representatives
Time: Friday, October 13th and Saturday, October 14th 2006
Facilitator: amnesty international Germany, Holtfort-Stiftung, Association of Republic and Lawyers (RAV) an Center for Constitutional Rights
Assisted by the foundation for Human Rights

Program:

Friday, October 13th 2006
09:00 – 09:30: reception
Barbara Lochbihler, amnesty international
Wolfgang Kaleck, RAV

09:30 – 10:15: I. Torture and international law
Theo van Boven, former UN-special rapporteur on torture: The prohibition of torture in interna-tional law

10:30 – 13:00: II. Torture and its victims
1. Jennifer Ashbury, USA
2. Dr. David Becker, Berlin: Torture and trauma
3. Dr. Sepp Graessner, center of therapy of victims of torture, Berlin: Psychological torture und sensory deprivation
4. Carla Ferstmann, Redress, London: Prosecution of torture and compensation
5. NN, Medico International: Therapy of victims of torture

13:00 – 14:30: lunch break

14:30 – 18:00: III. War against terror and torture in the United States
1. Alfred Mc Coy, author of “A Question on Torture: CIA Interrogation, from the Cold War to the War on Terror”, USA: The history of torture
2. Prof. Karen Greenberg, Columbia-University, New York: The legal definition of torture and the current discussion in the United States
3. Gita Guitterez, Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR): Torture in Guantanamo
4. attorney Michael Ratner, CCR: The juridical fight for Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib
5. Anne Fitzgerald, amnesty international, London: The Secret Service and torture, the CIA-air fare and the exercise of “rendition”

Saturay, October 14th 2006
IV. “War against terror” and the prohibition of torture in Germany
09:00 – 10:00: Heuer, representative superintendent Hannover: Historical lecture: Torture during the Third Reich

10:00 – 12:00:
1. presentation and introduction: Dr. Julia Duchrow, amnesty international Berlin
2. Jürger Kühling, former judge Federal Constitutional Court: Torture and constitutional state in Germany
3. Prof. Edda Weßlau, University Bremen, working group 1: Using the outcomes of torture in the criminal proceeding
4. Prof. Bernhard Schlink, working group 2: The legal obligations of German state officials during their activities to protect national security in Germany and abroad
5. attorney Dr. Reinhard Marx, Frankfurt, working group 3: Impending torture as protection of ex-pulsion, deportation and extradition

12:00 – 13:00: lunch break

13:00 – 15:30: discussion in study groups and presentation of the outcomes
working group 1 – chair: NN
working group 2 – chair: Wolfgang Grenz, amnesty international
working group 3 – chair: Rain Andrea Würdinger, RAV, Berlin; Marei Pelzer, Pro Asyl

16:00 – 18:00: strategies for the fortification of the prohibition of torture
presentation: Heribert Prantl, Süddeutsche Zeitung
attorney Michael Ratner, CCR
Barbara Lochbihler, amnesty international
Wolfgang Kaleck, RAV
Lotte Leicht, Human Rights Watch
Dr. Heiner Bielefeldt, German Institut for Human Rights
MdB Herta Däubler-Gmelin, Polenz, EP

Localização:

Em Berlim, na Alemanha,
Berlin House of Representatives

Rede Associativa - política internacional

A Proibição da Tortura e a Luta contra o Terror no Estado de Direito