Civil Society Statement on International Day in Support of Victims of Torture – June 26

June 26, 2026July 26, 2026

To honor the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, 120 civil society organizations joined together in a statement of solidarity with survivors.

Download the letter as a PDF

On this International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, we stand in solidarity with survivors worldwide and sound the alarm about policies and actions that threaten the legal protections and weaken human rights mechanisms created to prevent and punish acts of torture and abuse.

For four decades, the Convention Against Torture (CAT) has served as one of the strongest safeguards against torture, and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, affirming that no person, under any circumstances, should be subjected to it. It requires governments to prevent torture, hold perpetrators accountable, and provide redress to survivors. The U.S., upon the advice and consent of the Senate, joined the treaty in 1990. The CAT’s protections extend beyond borders and circumstances: from migrants and refugees, human rights defenders, religious minorities, journalists and political dissidents, to travelers, businesspeople, and military personnel – including U.S. citizens abroad. It remains essential to safeguarding human dignity and the rule of law.

Yet, around the world, individuals continue to be subjected to treatment, conditions and practices that inflict lasting psychological and physical harm, including those fleeing persecution in search of refuge. In the United States, this includes excessive use of force by law enforcement, inhumane treatment in prisons and detention facilities including prisoners on death row, corporal punishment and removal without due process of individuals to third countries, such as to CECOT in El Salvador, where they face abuse or torture.

Survivors of torture themselves have affirmed that torture does not end when the abuse stops. It breaks bodies and spirits. Its effects remain in scars and minds, in families and communities, compounded by long struggles to be believed, to access care and to obtain justice. The CAT recognizes this harm, requires accountability and empowers survivors with rights to rehabilitation and redress. That demands attention.

Survivors are not merely witnesses. They are rights-holders and agents of change. They are entitled to truth, accountability, and to meaningful participation in designing and strengthening justice systems to ensure those systems are survivor centered. The U.S. should be proud to be a party to a treaty seeking to end torture. On this day, we call on the United States and governments around the world to double their efforts to eradicate torture and uphold, in practice, their obligations under CAT to protect people from this irreparable harm, support survivors, and ensure no one, under any circumstances, is at risk of being subjected to it.

Justice for survivors is not a matter of charity. It is a legal obligation and moral imperative.

Signatures

World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)

AACI-Center for Survivors of Torture

ACAT Belgium

Albanian Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims – ARCT

Almonqith organization for Human Rights

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)

Amnesty International USA

Asia Alliance Against Torture (A3T)

Civil Society Statement on International Day in Support of Victims of Torture – June 26

Signatures

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Representing Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers, Maryknoll Sisters, and Maryknoll Lay Missioners