ACAT Côte d’Ivoire and FIACAT organised the Regional Conference on torture in detention in Sub-Saharan Africa on 28 and 29 April 2026 in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire). In a context marked by the persistence of torture and ill-treatment in places of detention, and despite regional and international commitments made by African States in the field of human rights, practices of violence and dehumanisation of detainees remain deeply entrenched in several judicial and penitentiary systems across the continent.
This meeting brought together approximately 80 participants from civil society, national human rights institutions (NHRIs), researchers, legal professionals, as well as representatives of national, regional, and international institutions. The objective was to bring together stakeholders engaged in the protection of detainees, in order to foster the sharing of experiences and synergies among actors, and to develop concrete strategies for cooperation to combat torture in detention. It also aimed to strengthen links within the ACAT and UATC network by providing a space for exchange on the recent work and studies members and partner organisations.
Members of the UATC network, as well as representatives of some of their partner organisations, were involved throughout the project. Their contribution proved invaluable in the development of the conference’s scientific programme, and participants benefited from their expertise over the two days of the conference, during the various panels.
The conference discussions were structured around the three key stages of detention:
- Before detention: preventing torture primarily requires reducing the use of imprisonment.
- During detention: improving prison practices by enhancing material conditions of detention and preventing torture.
- After detention: supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of torture in detention.
These themes were developed into six panels :
- Rethinking punishment
- Depenalising petty offenses
- Training actors of the penal chain
- Monitoring prisons
- Humanising prison governance
- Rehabilitating survivors of torture
This conference strongly reaffirmed that the fight against torture in detention can no longer be limited to statements of principle. It now requires coordinated and sustained mobilisation of all relevant stakeholders in order to translate the recommendations made into concrete and measurable actions.