Legal experts bat for measures to prevent torture.

Hyderabad, Feb 8 (PTI) Expressing serious concern overcontinuance of torture by police and other agencies, legalexperts today advocated on the need for initiating measures toprevent torture.

Participating in a session on ''Commonwealth HumanRights-Torture and Death in Custody'' at the ongoing 17thCommonwealth Law Conference here, the legal experts lamentedthat even though torture is prohibited under international lawand the domestic laws of most countries, there have beenrepeated reports of torture and similar ill-treatment.

Senior Advocate and former Solicitor-General of India, TR Andhyarujina said that, "Torture has almost become legalisedand the excuse being the countries are in an age of terrorism.

A stage has come where leading democracies which are committedto the ''Rule of Law'' are in practical ways legalisingtorture."

Torture is considered to be a violation of human rights,and is declared to be unacceptable by Article 5 of the UnitedNation''s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he said addingdespite these international conventions, organisations thatmonitor abuses of human rights (like Amnesty International,the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims)reported widespread use condoned by states in many regions ofthe world.

"Amnesty International estimates that at least 81 worldgovernments currently practice torture, some of them openly,"Andhyarujina said. The plea of compelling necessity fortorture in interrogation of terrorist suspects has been themost consistent excuse in the age of terrorism, he added.

"Various ways to circumvent the prohibition againsttorture have been formulated and a country like Israel hasrationalised the use of torture while countries like UnitedStates even justify torture," Andhyarujina said. (More) PTIVVK VKV