President Abdulla Yameen has today ratified the Anti-torture bill 2013. The Bill, passed at the 18th sitting of its third session of the Parliament on 16th December, has been published in the Government Gazette following ratification.
The Act is to lay down the policies and rules regarding prohibition and prevention from any form of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The new legislation declares freedom from torture as a fundamental right, promotes respect and protection for human dignity, declares torture as a new and separate offence in Maldives and prescribes penalties for offenders under the Act. It also establishes the relation between this Act and other offences and other penal laws.
The Act mandates the Human Rights Commission to function as the National Preventive Mechanism to take direct and indirect measures to prevent all forms of torture in the Maldives and to work towards the effective implementation of all international conventions on the subject matter.
The Act further mandates Maldives to fully comply with all international conventions, agreements, declarations and protocols relating to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, that the Maldives is party to.