25 November 1981

Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

The General Assembly,

Recalling the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 3452 (XXX) of 9 December 1975, Bearing in mind article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

Recalling further its resolution 32/62 of 8 December 1977, in which it requested the Commission on Human Rights to draw up a draft convention on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in the light of the principles embodied in the Declaration and its resolution 32/63 of 8 December 1977,

Noting that, in its resolution 11 of 5 September 1980, the Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders expressed the belief that the draft convention should be finalized at the earliest possible time,

1. Welcomes Economic and Social Council resolution 1981/37 of 8 May 1981, by which the Council authorized an open-ended working group of the Commission on Human Rights to meet for a period of one week prior to the thirty-eighth session of the Commission to complete the work on a draft convention;

2. Requests the Commission on Human Rights to complete as a matter of highest priority, at its thirty-eighth session, the drafting of a convention on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, with a view to submitting a draft, including provisions for the effective implementation of the future convention, to the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session;

3. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-seventh session the item entitled "Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment".