On 27 November 2025, the National Human Rights Commission of Taiwan (NHRC) was formally listed on the website of the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) as one of the institutional supporters of the Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information Gathering. This recognition helps strengthen Taiwan’s engagement and cooperation with the global human rights community.
In August this year, the NHRC was invited by the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) to send representatives to Thailand for the Torture Prevention Workshop for NHRIs 2025. Through this program, the NHRC gained a deeper understanding of the Principles as an essential framework for preventing torture. The Principles have been repeatedly affirmed in formal resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and have received strong public support by key international mechanisms, including the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT), the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), and the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS). To help raise public awareness of human rights protection in Taiwan, NHRC Chairperson Chen Chu formally expressed the Commission’s support for the Principles in an official letter.
The Principles were developed over four years by a group of 15 international steering committee members, more than 80 advisory members, and 20 experts specializing in torture prevention. Grounded in the values of mutual trust, human dignity, and scientific evidence, the Principles advocate the use of non-coercive, rapport-based interviewing practices conducted within the safeguards of due process. These approaches are designed to replace interrogation methods reliant on threats or inducements and to help rebuild trust between the state and its citizens.
The NHRC emphasized that expanding dialogue and exchange with international human rights institutions is essential to advancing Taiwan’s human rights protection policies. The Commission will continue to actively engage in global networks on torture prevention and related human rights initiatives, promote international standards for the prevention of torture, and support government agencies in incorporating the Convention against Torture and its Optional Protocol into domestic law. These efforts seek to ensure that national laws and administrative measures are aligned with international human rights norms and to further fulfil the state’s obligations to protect human rights.