Interpretation of the Prohibition of Torture: Making Sense of ‘Dignity’ Talk

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• 作者：Elaine Webster
• 刊名：Human Rights Review
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：September 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：17
• 期：3
• 页码：371-390
• 全文大小：441 KB
• 刊物主题：Theories of Law, Philosophy of Law, Legal History; Philosophy of Law; Ethics; Political Philosophy; Political Science, general;
• 出版者：Springer Netherlands
• ISSN：1874-6306
• 卷排序：17

文摘

The right not to be subjected to torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is invariably associated with ‘human dignity’. The idea of dignity plays some role in this right’s interpretation, although the content of the idea in this context, as in others, is unclear. Making sense of the dignity idea involves a number of challenges. These challenges give rise to the methodological-type question at the heart of this article: how should human rights lawyers go about articulating the content of ‘dignity’? The article proposes, and models, a methodological approach in response. Its core argument is that human rights law needs the vocabulary provided by theorizations of dignity but that these theorizations should be anchored in authoritative human rights jurisprudence. It argues that this approach can help make sense of the dignity idea in a way that facilitates a richer understanding of its influence on interpretation.KeywordsDignityTortureInhuman treatmentDegrading treatmentInterpretation