ACAT Germany
Postfach 1114
D-59331 Lüdinghausen
Tel : (49) (0) 25 91 75 33
Fax : (49) (0) 25 91 70 527
acat.ev@t-online.de
Message from the Catholic and Protestant churches to mark the 25th anniversary of ACAT Germany
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10 December 1948. It reflects an ideal that has yet to be realised. However, it has had a considerable impact in the last sixty years. As Christian churches, we are convinced that the justification and defence of human rights are firmly anchored in our faith and constitute an absolute Christian duty with a theological foundation. In his address to the UN General Assembly in April 2008, Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged that the human rights declaration had made a substantial contribution to enabling different cultures and legal systems to "converge around a fundamental nucleus of values". Thus human rights were increasingly becoming "the common language and the ethical substratum of international relations". Nonetheless, there are many conflicts around the assertion of human rights.
One of the central pillars of the human rights credo is the prohibition of torture, which is enshrined in Article 5 of the Universal Declaration : "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment". The1984 Convention against Torture builds on the somewhat succinct article of the Universal Declaration and lays the basis for legal enforceability. The preamble to the Convention reviews the reasons for prohibiting torture : the ethical basis of human rights in the inherent dignity of the human person. Article 1 of the Universal Declaration had already set out the relationship between dignity and rights : "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."
Action of Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT) was founded in France in 1974 – and in Germany in 1984 – in order to assert publicly by joint action the need to comply with the prohibition of torture and the categorical nature of the ban. As an ecumenical movement, ACAT is nourished by the very source of the Christian faith. Praying together for those who are tortured is a vital bond between Christians of different confessions, who have united to make a public stand against the grave injustice of torture.
Today, as in the past, the need for a special commitment to this human right and hence the importance of ACAT’s work are beyond all doubt. No one seriously questions the validity of the ban on torture, yet recent developments have shown how quickly the supposedly unchallenged consensus can become fragile and what dilemmas it can pose. The "Daschner case" of 2003 comes to mind, in which the Frankfurt deputy police chief had a child kidnapper threatened with torture. A further cause of great concern are the comments by a public prosecutor in 2008 on the possible use in criminal cases of information provided by foreign secret services from "doubtful sources". The acceptability of having recourse to such sources in specific cases is described as a question of "proportionality". This clearly involves accepting non-compliance with the Convention against Torture. Another dangerous practice is rendition, on the basis of diplomatic assurances, to countries of origin where the persons concerned are at risk of torture. It is not unusual for what happens when they arrive in their home countries to be hidden from public view.
Recognition of personal dignity is the lynch-pin of human rights as a whole. If it were to be weakened – by a fragmented approach to individual rights or by qualifying the absolute prohibition of torture – the structure would be liable to collapse. ACAT’s work makes a major contribution to ensuring that the ban on torture, as an unconditional precept, is not relativised and weighed against rights that are alleged to be more important.
Despite all its undoubted achievements, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is also a constant reminder to the actors of civil society that they need to face up to their particular responsibilities for the respect of human rights, since awareness of the inalienable nature of such rights is expressed in commitment to the victims of torture and discrimination throughout the world. ACAT’s contribution is sustained by a recognition of Christian responsibility for this world and the human beings who inhabit it.
For this we wish to thank it, on behalf of our churches, and to wish it strength and courage to continue its work.
Bishop Stephan Ackermann, President of the German Commission Justitia et Pax
Bishop Martin Schindehütte, Head of the Department for Ecumenical Relations and Ministries Abroad of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD)
(December 2009)
