Vanuatu prepares initial report under the United Nations Convention Against Torture

Information obtained through torture is inadmissible in court according to the new evidence law passed parliament last month.

That part of the new law can be regarded as a significant step by the government in its efforts to strengthening compliance with the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

“The new law specifically states that any confession obtained by force or torture is not admissible in court. This is to ensure evidence is collected fairly, and individuals receive just treatment in the legal system,” said Albert Nalpini, Vanuatu’s National Human Rights Coordinator.

Vanuatu signed the United Nations Convention Against Torture in 2011. The Convention recognises that any form of physical abuse or threats used by authorities to obtain information is illegal.

“Any action where someone in authority misuses their power to force someone to speak is an act of torture. For example, if police beat or threaten a young man to make him talk, that is torture,” Nalpini explained.

Despite signing the Convention over a decade ago, Vanuatu had not submitted any formal report on its progress. That changed recently during an important national workshop held to prepare the country’s first formal report on the Convention’s implementation.

The push to ratify the UN Convention in 2011 follows international pressure over the death of late John Bule, a prison escapee who was brutally beaten by police and later died from his injuries.

Nalpini, who is also a former Police Commissioner, emphasized that the new law does not hinder police work but ensures justice is done correctly.

“This won’t affect how police operate. We don’t want to imprison someone without proper justification. If we force someone through pain, they will say anything just to stop the pain—whether it’s true or not. That’s not justice.”

He added that police have other legal strategies to collect evidence, and there are measures in place to protect informants and witnesses.

The recent workshop brought together representatives from the National Human Rights Committee, law enforcement agencies, and the Ministry of Justice to compile the national report.

The completed report will be presented by the Minister of Justice to the United Nations Human Rights Headquarters, and then formally submitted to the UN Committee Against Torture.