In August 2025, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Taiwan, at the invitation and sponsorship of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF), dispatched its representative, Lo Yu-Shan, to Bangkok, Thailand, to participate in the Torture Prevention Workshop for NHRIs 2025. The workshop was co-organized by the APF and the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), with the support of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD).
The event brought together representatives from the national human rights institutions (NHRIs) of eight countries—Indonesia, Maldives, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Timor-Leste—with the aims of strengthening regional networks among NHRIs, enhancing professional knowledge on torture prevention, and exploring strategies for joint advocacy and cooperation.
The lectures delivered by APT and APF were substantial and professional, and the exchange of experiences among participating countries proved deeply inspiring. Accordingly, the report is structured first to consolidate relevant international norms and visiting methodologies, followed by an analysis of cross-national experiences and Taiwan’s domestic practices. Based on these findings, the report draws the following conclusions:
1. Strengthen the domestic implementation of the prohibition of torture, aligning national legislation with international jus cogens norms to establish an effective national prevention mechanism.
2. Support the Méndez Principles on Effective Interviewing, advocating a shift “from coercion to justice,” thereby enhancing the NHRC’s international standing.
3. Deepen professional exchanges in international affairs, focusing on dialogue within the APF community and planning for the signing of memoranda of understanding to expand transnational cooperation networks and jointly advance human rights protection.