On the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (BIM) highlights the need to increase efforts to effectively implement standards preventing torture and other forms of ill-treatment worldwide. Over the past months, the Coronavirus pandemic raised unprecedented challenges, which led to an escalation of torture and other forms of ill-treatment worldwide.

Many international bodies have reported an increasing use of excessive violence by the police, including to enforce curfews and social distancing rules as well as incidents of racially-motivated violence. The Institute highlights the absolute nature of the prohibition of torture and stands in solidarity with all victims of torture and other forms of ill-treatment across the world.