Ireland signed the UN Convention Against Torture in 1992. Following the enactment of the Criminal Justice (United Nations Convention against Torture) Act, 2000, the Department of Foreign Affairs with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform are now finalising arrangements to enable Ireland to ratify the convention. It is hoped that it will be possible to ratify the convention shortly.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform will make an Order bringing section 11 of the Criminal Justice (United Nations Convention against Torture) Act, 2000 into operation as soon as the ratification process has been completed.
On 4 April 2001 the General Affairs Council of the EU adopted a set of internal guidelines for the implementation of its policy against torture. The guidelines will provide the EU with an operational tool for use in its contacts with third countries and in multilateral human rights fora, in order to support and strengthen the on-going efforts towards the global prevention and eradication of torture, an abhorrent violation of human rights. I am placing the text of the guidelines in the Library of the House.
