FOREWORD: The UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June is the day in which people and organisations from around the world commemorate and honour the victims of torture and stand united in the fight against this crime. It is also a day where torture rehabilitation centres, small and large, take the opportunity to share with the world their work and achievements and victims of torture tell their stories to promote awareness.

To the IRCT, 26 June 2014 was a day of optimism. An astounding 110 organisations worldwide took part in marking the day and thousands of people helped share this year’s message against impunity. Everyone has a right to justice and rehabilitation and an important step in ending the suffering of torture victims is to ensure that perpetrators are brought to court. It is just as important that torture survivors receive some form of redress while we take all necessary steps to prevent the violation from happening again.

In this context, Fighting Impunity is something that the IRCT and our members feel very strongly about. In all regions of the world, crimes of torture are committed every day against men, women and children. In most cases, no one is prosecuted and punished for them.

In the days leading up to 26 June and on the day, organisations around the world made it clear that fighting impunity is high on their list of objectives. They all found their unique ways to voice their stance through a string of activities including seminars, lectures, music and theatre performances, sporting events and peaceful protests, all calling on the authorities, the media and the public to take a stand against torture and impunity.

As this report shows, 26 June gave many organisations the opportunity to cast much-needed light on the many cases of impunity around the world and to spread the message that torture should not be tolerated. In many countries, government and state representatives acknowledged the contribution of anti-torture organisations by meeting with the local communities to discuss what measures can be taken to protect the survivors and to punish the perpetrators.

While we felt encouraged, it was clear from listening to torture victims, member centres, legal and medical professionals and representatives from academia that the anti-torture movement has a long way to go. The IRCT has for years, through training, advocacy and awareness-raising, worked to promote the value and use of medical documentation of torture. Together with other anti-torture organisations around the world, we will continue the mission of eliminating impunity and promoting a world without torture…