INTRODUCTION Starting with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the prohibition against torture and “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” now pervades the extensive network of international and regional instruments constituting human rights and humanitarian law.1 However, the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment2 (hereafter: ���the Convention”) is the only legally binding convention at the international level concerned exclusively with the eradication of torture.3 The main objective of the Convention is to lay down obligations on States Parties to establish and exercise jurisdiction over the crime of torture. The Convention furthermore imposes significant obligations on States to take measures to prevent torture and to facilitate redress to torture victims and survivors. While most people working on torture-related issues know of the Convention in broad terms, the legal implications of the Convention’s provisions are not necessarily well-known outside the circles of specialised non-governmental organisations and academics. The present Handbook seeks to remedy this situation. The aim of the Handbook is to provide easily accessible, yet comprehensive information about the substantive provisions of the Convention to people concerned with the issue of torture, be it in a professional or a private capacity. The Handbook is targeted at groups and individuals working in government or non-governmental sectors, with some prior knowledge of the Convention provisions, but who would like to know more. It should be stressed, however, that for legal or other experts on the Convention, the Handbook may not offer much additional information. The structure of the Handbook is as follows: The handbook format was chosen in order to enable readers who are only looking for information about particular articles of the Convention to find quick access to such information. However, the Handbook can also be read in its entirety. INTRODUCTION • The first section gives a general overview of the content of the Convention, together with a brief introduction to the Committee against Torture. • The second section, which contains the primary focus of the Handbook, considers in more detail the substantive provisions of the Convention. Each article is subject to analysis and interpretation. • The third section presents a thematic summary of some central issues pertaining to the Convention. 7