This text assesses the suitability of the UN Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (hereinafter referred to as the Torture Convention) as a means of protecting and enforcing the right to be free from torture. Evaluation of the Convention's ability to attain these ends is undertaken through a critical commentary on its substantive and enforcement provisions and on other human rights instruments. The effectiveness of the procedural mechanisms for enforcing the Torture Convention on the national and international planes, and the questions that...