Guest Author - Sandy Mullins

June 26th is the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, signed on June 26, 1987 by The General Assembly by resolution 39/46. It wasn’t something that they decided on instantly, they opened the conference on December 10, 1984 and consulted on it for more than two years.

Torture, per the United Nations definition: . . . any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.
Torture or any other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is something that should be stopped. Countries all over the world still use torture for reasons or political, ethnic or religious beliefs.

Baha’is have been and still are being tortured and executed for their religious beliefs in Iran.

Learn about the history of this day and resolution 39/46 at the United Nation sites below:

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment or Punishment(offsite link)

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (offsite link)