Are perpetrators punished?
They should be. All States are legally obliged to ensure that complaints and reports of torture or ill-treatment are promptly and effectively investigated, and that perpetrators are punished. In relation to torture, there is universal jurisdiction, which means that if an alleged torturer comes to a country which has ratified the Convention (142 countries out of 192 have done so), the State must “take him/her into custody or take other legal measures to ensure his/her presence” (Article 6.2 in the Convention against Torture) and if the State “does not extradite him/her, [it must] submit the case to its competent authorities for the purpose of prosecution” (Article 7 in the Convention against Torture). This is valid not only for the torturer him/herself but also for the person who gives the order. In practice, however, this does, unfortunately, not always happen. Many States do not know their legal obligations, and many victims do not know about their right to reparation. Therefore, awar
