Vietnamese ministries have been requested by the Prime Minister to step up their inspections into allegations of torture and their settlement of cases, as stipulated in the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatments or Punishments (CAT).

Authorised agencies have also been ordered to publicise legal regulations on torture prevention and the convention’s content, and to strengthen international cooperation in torture prevention.

The Supreme People’s Procuracy has been assigned to coordinate with the Supreme People’s Court, and the ministries of Public Security, Justice, and National Defence to overhaul regulations stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Code, the Civil Code, the Law on State Compensation Liability, the Law on Complaints, and the Law on Denunciations, bringing them in line with the CAT.

The CAT is one of the most important multilateral international treaties on human rights, and aims to eradicate cruel and inhumane treatment and punishment. It was approved by the UN resolution No. 39/46 in 1984 and took effect from June 26, 1987.

In Vietnam, the convention was ratified at the eighth session of the 13th National Assembly on November 28, 2014.-VNA