Summary

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Alice Jill Edwards, addresses the crime of hostage‑taking from the perspective of the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, with a view to reinvigorating international engagement on the issue; reinforcing international laws prohibiting torture and the taking of hostages; and addressing legal and policy gaps in the prevention of hostage-taking and the protection of hostages. In the report, the Special Rapporteur highlights the severe psychological and physical torture and other ill-treatment suffered by hostages, which have lasting impacts on hostages’ families, communities and countries. She considers that the rising number of incidents of hostage-taking worldwide demand collective international attention, and calls on the international community to condemn all forms of hostage-taking and to fully implement, inter alia, the International Convention on the Taking of Hostages. The report concludes with a set of recommendations to States, non-State actors, and entities and bodies of the United Nations.