Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1894244 Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1894244 [Prof. Giovanni Distefano] 21 [Journal of Sharia &Law ] [Issue No 47 July 2011] La Convention européenne pour la prévention de la torture et des peines ou traitements inhumains ou dégradants: genèse d’un modèle exemplaire du contrôle international en matière de droits de l’homme * Prof. Giovanni Distefano * The 26 June 1987, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the “European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment”, which entered eventually into force two years later. Being closely intertwined with the European Convention of Human Rights (1950), the Torture Convention establishes a parallel monitoring system ensuring the respect of the subjective rights contained therein. In addition to the 1950 Convention, it introduces an absolutely novel mechanism aimed to address in a preventive and effective way the needs related to the protection of human dignity and other core human rights belonging to individuals deprived of their liberty. This short study endeavours firstly to describe the preparatory phases of the Convention. In this connection, the raisons d’être and concerns which led to its birth will be likewise analysed (First Part). Secondly, an operational definition of “torture and inhuman and degrading treatments” will be propounded, in the light of a concise referral to the European Court of Human Rights case-law (Second Part). A brief survey of the Convention main provisions will be the * Professeur extraordinaire de droit international public Université de Neuchâtel Switzerland.. * Accepted for publication 13.3.2011. Abstract