The Treatment of Prisoners Under International Law

by Rodley, Nigel S.

• ISBN13: 9780198265634
• ISBN10: 0198265638
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-09-14
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This book deals with a specialized area of international law relating to prisoners and some of the worst abuses they may be subjected to such as torture, enforced disappearance, capital and corporal punishment. It is mainly a study in international human rights law, but also draws extensively on international humanitarian law and international criminal law. This edition reflects the extensive legal and institutional developments that have taken place in the last twelve years.

Table of Contents

Selected Abbreviations	xix
Table of Treaties and Other International Instruments	xxi
Table of Cases	xxv
General Introduction	1	(1)
The Development of an International Law of Human Rights Applicable to Prisoners	1	(6)
The Nature and Scope of the Problem	7	(7)
Torture and other ill-treatment	7	(4)
Executions	11	(2)
Disappearances	13	(1)
Prison conditions	13	(1)
The Inherent Dignity of the Enemy	14	(1)
The Approach	15	(3)
The Response of the United Nations General Assembly to the Challenge of Torture	18	(28)
Introduction	18	(2)
Discussion of Torture at the UN General Assembly 1973-1975	20	(17)
Resolution 3059 (XXVIII) of 2 November 1973	20	(3)
Resolution 3218 (XXIX) of 6 November 1974	23	(5)
The Fifth UN Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (1975)	28	(1)
Changes in definition	29	(2)
International prohibition of torture	31	(1)
Effective measures by states	32	(1)
Implementation	33	(2)
Resolution 3452 (XXX) of 9 December 1975---The Declaration against Torture	35	(2)
Developments Following the Adoption of the Declaration against Torture	37	(6)
Resolution 3453 (XXX) of 9 December 1975	37	(1)
Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment	37	(1)
Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials	38	(1)
Principles of Medical Ethics	38	(1)
Implementation	39	(1)
Resolutions 32/62, 32/63, and 32/64 of 8 December 1977	40	(1)
A convention against torture	41	(1)
Questionnaire on the Declaration against Torture	42	(1)
Unilateral declarations against Torture	42	(1)
Summary	43	(3)
The Legal Prohibition of Torture and Other Ill-treatment	46	(29)
Introduction	46	(1)
Treaties Prohibiting Torture and Other Ill-treatment	47	(15)
The UN Convention against Torture	48	(3)
The OAS Convention against Torture	51	(2)
The human rights treaties	53	(1)
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights	53	(2)
Specific human rights treaties of universal applicability	55	(1)
Regional human rights treaties	56	(1)
The humanitarian law treaties	57	(1)
Common article 3 and Protocol II	57	(3)
The Geneva Conventions and Protocol I	60	(1)
Unilateral declarations against torture	61	(1)
General International Law and Torture	62	(11)
The Charter of the United Nations	63	(2)
Customary international law	65	(2)
General principles of law	67	(1)
Judicial decisions	68	(5)
Teachings of publicists	73	(1)
Summary	73	(2)
What Constitutes Torture and Other Ill-treatment?	75	(32)
Introduction	75	(2)
Defining Torture	77	(24)
Justifiability?	78	(6)
Purpose	84	(1)
Degree of pain or suffering/aggravation	85	(5)
The Northern Ireland case	90	(5)
Other cases	95	(5)
Who commits torture?	100	(1)
What is `Other Prohibited Ill-treatment''?	101	(6)
The Legal Consequences of Torture and Other Ill-treatment	107	(27)
The Legal Consequences of Torture	107	(23)
State responsibility for torture	107	(3)
Investigation	110	(1)
Bringing to justice	111	(3)
Compensation	114	(1)
Measures against recurrence	115	(1)
Non-expulsion	116	(4)
Individual responsibility for torture	120	(10)
The Legal Consequences of Other Prohibited Ill-treatment	130	(2)
Summary	132	(2)
International Remedies for Torture and Other Ill-treatment	134	(43)
Introduction	134	(3)
General Assembly Questionnaire on Torture	137	(3)
Sub-commission Annual Review of Prisoners' Rights	140	(5)
Special Rapporteur on Torture	145	(5)
Nature and function of the Special Rapporteur	147	(3)
UN Convention against Torture	150	(11)
Committee against Torture	152	(1)
Review of Periodic reports	152	(3)
Interstate complaints	155	(1)
Individual complaints	155	(2)
Inquiry into systematic practices of torture	157	(3)
Preventive visits?	160	(1)
European Convention for the Prevention of Torture	161	(5)
History	161	(2)
The Committee	163	(1)
Visits	163	(1)
Publication	164	(2)
Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture	166	(9)
Origins of the fund	166	(4)
Beneficiaries of the fund	170	(1)
Intermediaries	171	(1)
Country priorities	172	(1)
Nature of aid	173	(2)
Summary	175	(2)
Extra-legal Executions	177	(27)
General Prohibition of Murder by Government	177	(5)
Racially motivated killing and genocide	181	(1)
Extra-legal Executions as Arbitrary Deprivations of Life	182	(9)
Killings as necessary measures of law enforcement	182	(6)
Killings in non-international armed conflict	188	(2)
Killings in international armed conflicts	190	(1)
Legal Consequences of Extra-legal Executions	191	(8)
State responsibility	192	(3)
Individual responsibility	195	(4)
International Remedies	199	(3)
Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions	199	(3)
Summary	202	(2)
The Death Penalty	204	(39)
Introduction: The Objective of Abolition	204	(14)
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights	207	(1)
Other UN initiatives	208	(1)
Developments in political bodies	208	(2)
Optional Protocol to the Convenant on Civil and Political Rights	210	(2)
Statutes of international criminal tribunals	212	(1)
European Regional Developments	213	(4)
Inter-American developments	217	(1)
Limits to Capitally Punishable Offences	218	(7)
Lawful sanction	218	(1)
Only the `most serious crimes'	219	(1)
No other human rights violations should be involved	220	(1)
Non-retroactivity	221	(1)
Political offences	222	(1)
Offences committed by persons under military occupation	223	(1)
Non-reintroduction	223	(2)
Procedural Restrictions on the Imposition of the Death Penalty	225	(11)
Fair trial	225	(4)
Degree of proof	229	(1)
Appeals	229	(2)
Clemency	231	(1)
Non-execution pending appeal and clemency procedures	232	(1)
Humane treatment	233	(3)
Persons Who May Not be Executed	236	(3)
Persons under 18 years old	236	(2)
Pregnant women and mothers	238	(1)
Persons over 70 years old (Americas region)	239	(1)
Insane persons	239	(1)
International Remedies	239	(2)
Secretary-General's `best endeavours'	239	(1)
Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions	240	(1)
Summary	241	(2)
`Disappeared' Prisoners: Unacknowledged Detention	243	(34)
`Disappearance'	243	(6)
The problem of defining `disappearances'	245	(4)
The UN Response to `Disappearances'	249	(5)
The International Law Prohibition of `Disappearances'	254	(10)
The right to liberty and security of person	255	(2)
The right to humane conditions of detention and freedom from torture and ill-treatment	257	(4)
The right to life	261	(3)
Legal Consequences of `Disappearances'	264	(5)
State responsibility	264	(2)
Individual responsibility	266	(3)
International Remedies	269	(8)
Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances	270	(1)
The scope of the Working Group's concern	270	(1)
General approach	271	(1)
Countries considered	272	(1)
Sources of information	272	(1)
Screening of information received/admissibility	273	(1)
Transmittal of information	274	(1)
Country visits	274	(1)
Immediate action	275	(1)
Annual report	276	(1)
Conditions of Imprisonment or Detention	277	(32)
The Legal Rules	277	(2)
Institutional Ill-treatment	279	(15)
Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners	279	(2)
Prison conditions in the Greek case	281	(3)
Duration of conditions	284	(1)
Practice of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture	285	(1)
Practice of the Human Rights Committee	286	(3)
Prison conditions which violate human dignity	289	(3)
Practice of the Special Rapporteur on Torture	292	(2)
Solitary Confinement	294	(3)
Medical or Scientific Experimentation on Human Beings	297	(3)
Other Areas of Possible Abuse of Prisoners	300	(4)
Persons detained on mental health grounds	300	(3)
Forcible feeding	303	(1)
Separation of categories of prisoner	303	(1)
Legal Consequences of Unlawful Treatment	304	(1)
International Remedies	305	(1)
Summary	306	(3)
Corporal Punishment	309	(16)
The Geography of Corporal Punishment	309	(2)
United Nations Activities Concerning Corporal Punishment	311	(3)
International Humanitarian Law	314	(2)
International Human Rights Law	316	(7)
Summary	323	(2)
Guarantees Against Abuses of the Human Person: Arbitrary Arrest and Detention	325	(29)
United Nations Body of Principles	326	(8)
Legal assistance	328	(1)
Communication with families	329	(1)
Length of interrogation	330	(1)
Pre- and post-interrogation medical examinations	330	(1)
Records of details of interrogations, medical examinations, and so on	331	(1)
Appearance before a judge and judicial supervision	331	(1)
Interrogation by the judiciary	332	(1)
Challenging the legality of detention and treatment	332	(2)
Incommunicado Detention and Habeas Corpus under Existing Law and Legal Instruments	334	(6)
Incommunicado detention under the Covenant	335	(2)
Habeas Corpus under the Covenant	337	(2)
Incommunicado detention and Habeas Corpus under the regional conventions	339	(1)
General International Law	340	(2)
States of Emergency	342	(10)
International monitoring of states of emergency	351	(1)
Summary	352	(2)
International Codes of Ethics for Professionals	354	(31)
Introduction	354	(1)
UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials	355	(13)
Background	355	(3)
Addressees of the Code	358	(1)
The scope of the Code	358	(4)
Expected response to non-compliance with the Code	362	(3)
Implementation	365	(2)
Training and dissemination	367	(1)
Council of Europe Declaration on the Police	368	(2)
Code(s) of Military Ethics?	370	(1)
UN Principles of Medical Ethics	371	(10)
Background	371	(1)
Addressees of the Principles	372	(1)
The scope of the Principles	373	(4)
Expected response to non-compliance with the Principles	377	(2)
Implementation	379	(1)
Training and dissemination	380	(1)
Ethical Principles for Lawyers?	381	(4)
General Conclusion---An Agenda	385	(4)
Proposals	385	(4)
General	385	(1)
Torture and other ill-treatment	386	(1)
Extra-legal executions and the death penalty	387	(1)
`Disappearances'	387	(1)
Prison conditions	387	(1)
Professional ethics	388	(1)
Human rights awareness	388	(1)
Annex 1. Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment	389	(2)
Annex 2a. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment	391	(11)
Annex 2b. Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture	402	(5)
Annex 2c. European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment	407	(6)
Annex 3. Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners	413	(15)
Annex 4. Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment	428	(8)
Annex 5a. Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials	436	(4)
Annex 5b. Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials	440	(5)
Annex 5c. Declaration on the Police---Part A	445	(2)
Annex 6. Principles of Medical Ethics relevant to the Role of Health Personnel, particularly Physicians, in the Protection of Prisoners and Detainees against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment	447	(2)
Annex 7. Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary, and Summary Executions	449	(4)
Annex 8a. Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance	453	(6)
Annex 8b. Inter-American Convention on the Forced Disappearance of Persons	459	(6)
Annex 9a. Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949---Common Article 3	465	(1)
Annex 9b. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights---Articles 6, 7, 9, and 10	466	(2)
Annex 9c. European Convention on Human Rights---Articles 2, 3, and 5	468	(2)
Annex 9d. American Convention on Human Rights---Articles 4, 5, and 7	470	(2)
Annex 9e. African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights---Articles 4-7	472	(1)
Index	473