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/></td> <td> <p style="font-size:1.4em;">United Nations</p> </td> <td> <p> <span style="font-size:2em;">CAT</span>/C/LBN/CO/1</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> <p style="font-weight:bold;font-size:1.7em;">Convention against Tortureand Other Cruel, Inhumanor Degrading Treatmentor Punishment</p> </td> <td> <p>Distr.: General</p> <p>30 May 2017</p> <p> </p> <p>Original: English</p> </td> </tr> </table> <div class="content"> <p style="font-weight:bold;font-size:1.2em;">Committee against Torture</p> <h2 style="font-weight:bold;">Concluding observations on the initial report of Lebanon *</h2> <p>1.The Committee against Torture considered the initial report of Lebanon (CAT/C/LBN/1) at its 1509th and 1512th meetings (see CAT/C/SR.1509 and 1512), held on 20 and 21 April 2017, and adopted the present concluding observations at its 1532nd and 1533rd meetings, held on 8 May 2017.</p> <h3>A.Introduction</h3> <p>2.The Committee welcomes the submission of the initial report of Lebanon and the information contained therein. It regrets, however, that the report was submitted over 14 years late, which prevented the Committee from conducting a periodic analysis of the State party s implementation of the Convention following its ratification in 2000, in compliance with the reporting procedure under article 19 of the Convention. </p> <p>3.The Committee appreciates having had the opportunity to engage in a constructive dialogue with the State party s delegation and the responses provided to the questions and concerns raised during the consideration of the report.</p> <h3>B.Positive aspects</h3> <p>4.The Committee notes with satisfaction the fact that, since the entry into force of the Convention for the State party, Lebanon has ratified or acceded to the following international human rights instruments:</p> <p>(a)The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, on 22 December 2008;</p> <p>(b)The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, on 8 November 2004.</p> <p>5.The Committee welcomes the following legislative measures taken by the State party in areas of relevance to the Convention:</p> <p>(a)The adoption of Law No. 62 of 2016 mandating the establishment of the National Commission for Human Rights, a national human rights institution encompassing a national preventive mechanism for the prevention of torture, as required under the Optional Protocol to the Convention;</p> <p>(b)The adoption of Law No. 293 of 2014 on the protection of women and other family members from domestic violence;</p> <p>(c)The adoption of Law No. 164 of 2011 on combating trafficking in persons.</p> <p>6.The Committee commends the State party for its initiatives to amend its policies and procedures in order to afford greater protection of human rights and to apply the Convention, in particular:</p> <p>(a)The creation, in 2015, of a pilot forensic and psychological examination unit at the Palais de Justice in Tripoli;</p> <p>(b)The establishment, in 2015, of an international law and human rights directorate at the Army Command;</p> <p>(c)The adoption, in 2015, of the Mental Health and Substance Use Prevention, Promotion and Treatment Strategy for Lebanon 2015-2020, which includes among its strategic objectives the adoption of a monitoring and evaluation system to ensure quality of mental health and substance use services;</p> <p>(d)The adoption, on 10 December 2012, of the National Human Rights Plan 2014-2019, in which the fight against torture was included as a priority area;</p> <p>(e)The establishment, in 2008, of the Internal Security Forces Committee for Monitoring against the Use of Torture and Other Inhuman Practices in Prisons and Detention Centres.</p> <p>7.The Committee values the extraordinary efforts made by the State party to respond to the massive influx of asylum seekers and other persons in need of international protection arriving in its territory. It also commends the State party for having admitted and/or accommodated over a million registered Syrian refugees fleeing from armed conflict in their country, as well as thousands of asylum seekers and refugees from Ethiopia, Iraq, the Sudan and other countries. In addition, Lebanon hosts approximately 450,000 registered Palestinian refugees.</p> <p>8.The Committee notes with appreciation that, in 2011, the State party issued a standing invitation to the special procedure mechanisms of the Human Rights Council. </p> <h3>C.Principal subjects of concern and recommendations</h3> <h3>Follow-up to the Committee s confidential inquiry under article 20 of the Convention</h3> <p>9.The Committee regrets the absence of a plan of action and the low rate of implementation of the 34 recommendations included in the summary account of the results of the proceedings concerning its 2012/13 confidential inquiry on Lebanon, particularly those deemed urgent (see A/69/44, annex XIII, paras. 38 and 40). Nevertheless, the Committee considers that substantive steps have been taken by the State party to address some of its recommendations, especially with regard to the adoption of legislation mandating the creation of a national human rights institution, including a national preventive mechanism, and the improvement of conditions in detention facilities (para. 38 (h), (t) and (w), respectively). In addition, the State party has submitted its initial report under article 19 of the Convention, as recommended in paragraph 38 (ee).</p> <h3>Absolute prohibition of torture</h3> <p>10.The Committee is concerned that there is no clear provision in the State party s legislation to ensure that the prohibition against torture is absolute and non-derogable (art. 2 (2)-(3)).</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">11. The State party should ensure that the principle of absolute prohibition of torture is incorporated into its legislation and that it is strictly applied in accordance with article 2 (2) of the Convention, which stipulates that no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture. In that connection, the Committee draws the State party s attention to paragraph 5 of its general comment No. 2 (2007) on the implementation of article 2, in which it states, inter alia, that exceptional circumstances also include any threat of terrorist acts or violent crime, as well as armed conflict, international or non-international.</p> <h3>Definition and criminalization of torture </h3> <p>12.While taking note of the information provided by the State party on the content of the draft law on the criminalization of torture, including the proposed amendments to article 401 of the Criminal Code, the Committee is concerned that a comprehensive definition of torture in conformity with that contained in article 1 of the Convention is not yet contained in domestic law. It is also concerned about the inadequacy of the penalties applicable to torture envisaged in the current draft legislation. Furthermore, the Committee notes with concern that the bill includes a provision according to which the statute of limitations on torture will start to run on the day the victim is released from detention (arts. 1 and 4).</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">13. In line with its obligations under the Convention, as recommended by the Committee in its inquiry (see A/69/44, annex XIII, para. 38 (b)), and in line with the commitment the State party made during the universal periodic review in November 2015 (see A/HRC/31/5, paras. 132.34-132.36 and A/HRC/31/5/Add.1), the State party should define torture in full conformity with article 1 of the Convention, and ensure that such offences are punishable by appropriate penalties that take into account their grave nature, in accordance with article 4 (2) of the Convention. It should also establish that there is no statute of limitations for the offence of torture.</p> <h3>Allegations of torture and ill-treatment</h3> <p>14.The Committee takes note of the State party s affirmation that the practice of torture is not widespread in Lebanon and that any instances of torture are isolated events that do not in any way correspond to State policy. However, the Committee remains concerned at various consistent reports that security forces and military personnel continue to routinely use torture against suspects in custody, including children, who are often held incommunicado, primarily to extract confessions that are to be used in criminal p