From Custodial Violence to Justice: Evaluating Pakistan's Torture Prevention Legislation in Light of International Standards
Keywords:
Custodial Violence, Torture, the United Nations Convention Against Torture, Custodial Death, Human Rights, Criminal Justice SystemAbstract
Custodial violence remains a pressing human rights issue worldwide, especially in Pakistan. This research evaluates the effectiveness of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act, 2022 in controlling custodial violence. This study employs a qualitative, comparative and doctrinal methodology to critically analyze the custodial-violence legislative framework with the help of case laws, articles, books, and through its comparison with international standards, particularly with the United Nations Convention Against Torture. The findings of this study reveal that though the Act, 2022, is a significant step toward opposing custodial violence, it falls short in several areas. It includes the exclusion of mental torture from its scope, lack of distinct and independent penalties for custodial crimes, inadequate victim rehabilitation mechanisms, and ambiguous supervision mechanisms, etc. This study recommends expansion of its scope to include mental torture, consideration of offences as standalone, investigation by specialized FIA units, victim rehabilitation, and independent supervision. This research contributes to the existing knowledge through offering a comprehensive evaluation of Pakistan’s legislative framework against custodial violence and highlighting actionable reforms to bridge the gap between national law and international human rights standards regarding custodial violence.
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