By PNA and U.S. News Agency / Asian

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his message on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture said the world will prove its unequivocal commitment to fight torture and impunity.

“Twenty-five years since the entry into force of the Convention against Torture, this cruel and dehumanizing practice remains pervasive.

Ban said in a statement: “Every day, women, men and children are tortured or ill-treated with the intention of destroying their sense of dignity and human worth.

“In some cases, this is part of a deliberate state policy of instilling fear and intimidating its population.

“In too many countries, people’s legitimate demands for freedom and human rights are met with brutal repression. Even when regimes change, torture often persists and a culture of impunity remains.

“On this International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, we express our solidarity with, and support for, the hundreds of thousands of victims of torture and their family members throughout the world who endure such suffering.”