Revision of the Commentary to the UN Convention Against Torture

A new revised edition of the Commentary on the Convention Against Torture and its Optional Protocol was published, more than ten years after the first edition.

The Commentary is one of the most comprehensive resource tools for anyone working on the prohibition and prevention of torture. The new edition aims to ensure that the Commentary continues to serve as a comprehensive and up-to-date guide, providing researchers and practitioners worldwide with guidance on the interpretation of state obligations to prevent torture and ill-treatment. The revised Commentary include all relevant developments concerning the interpretation of the UN Convention Against Torture (CAT) and the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), with particular focus on the practice of the UN Committee against Torture as well as the work of the UN Special Rapporteur against Torture and other UN treaty and charter bodies, human rights monitoring mechanisms, and key developments at the national level. The new edition also aims to make the manuscript and the Convention more user-friendly for academics and practitioners alike.

The Project, entitled ‘Revision of the Commentary to the UN Convention Against Torture’ was funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). The project began in January 2016 and came to an end in March 2018.

The Commentary “The United Nations Convention Against Torture and its Optional Protocol – A Commentary” edited by Manfred Nowak, Moritz Birk, and Giuliana Monina Oxford Commentaries on International Law is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC 4.0 International licence. It is offered as a free PDF download here:

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-united-nations-convention-against-torture-and-its-optional-protocol-9780198846178?q=nowak%20birk&lang=en&cc=gb#