From the press release of 6 October 2026 — translation

All 57 OSCE participating States have repeatedly reaffirmed their commitment to the absolute prohibition of torture. Nevertheless, torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment continue to be documented in the OSCE region as well.

The roadmap developed by the Swiss OSCE Chairpersonship addresses this gap between commitment and implementation. It is being presented today as part of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. The roadmap does not create new norms, but brings together international standards, legal obligations, political commitments and good practices in an action-oriented reference document.

The roadmap comprises a total of 18 action points, ranging from arrest and detention to questioning, the investigation of allegations of torture and redress for those affected. These include:

full respect for the absolute prohibition of torture; the abolition of secret and incommunicado detention; strengthening the rights of arrested persons; introducing non-coercive questioning methods; effectively investigating allegations of torture and combating impunity; strengthening independent monitoring mechanisms for places of detention; improving redress and rehabilitation for victims and survivors.

Source

Press release: «Schweizer OSZE-Vorsitz präsentiert Roadmap zur Verhütung und Beseitigung von Folter», published on 6 October 2026. In the German version of this article, the title, lead and preceding original paragraphs are reproduced verbatim; they are presented here in English translation. «Heute» refers to that publication date. https://www.admin.ch/de/newnsb/AZZ08RKVLvhA