The Prohibition of Torture from a Human Rights Perspective: Fiction or Reality in the Current Rule of Law

Abstract

This article discusses the problem of torture in Mexico and its impact on the legitimacy of the State and the protection of human rights. Despite the normative advances in the configuration of the notion of torture, there are problems of effectiveness in the mechanisms with which the State operates to comply with its obligation of due diligence in the prevention, investigation, registration and prosecution of torture cases. The author emphasizes that torture is a symptom of the weakness of the rule of law, which produces a social delegitimization due to the disappointment of society’s expectations in legal institutions and in the procedural guarantees of criminal justice systems. Furthermore, torture is related to a culture of impunity, discrimination and inequality, which demands effective and fair policies to address this problem. Therefore, it is necessary to advance in the justiciability, prevention, investigation, eradication, protection, reparation and punishment of acts of torture.