Country Specific Activities
As part of the former Special Rapporteur on Torture’s mandate, at the invitation of State’s Governments and with the support of the Anti-Torture Initiative, Professor Mendez conducted several country visits to assess the country’s situation regarding the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. After each visit, a report would be prepared of his assessment, providing specific recommendations to the State on ways to effectively uphold their obligations to prevent, prosecute, and punish acts of torture and ill-treatment. In some cases, Professor Mendez conducted follow-up visits to assess the status of implementation of recommendations to a particular State, and provide support to the government and civil society to promote their effective implementation.
Over the years, the ATI has continued to engage strategically to help promote the implementation of country-specific activities through targeted advocacy, technical assistance, capacity building training, and civil society engagement – both in countries visited by Professor Mendez during his mandate as Special Rapporteur as well as in others.