Ref: 2024/PR/339
The Maldives candidate, Honourable Aisha Shujune Muhammad, Justice of the Supreme Court of the Maldives, has been elected to the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture and Other Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment for the term 2025 to 2028, during the elections held today in Geneva. Justice Shujune received the highest number of votes in the election.
Justice Shujune will be assuming her role on the Subcommittee for the fourth time since her initial election in 2010, having previously served the previous term from 2021 to 2024. She also served two consecutive terms from 2011 to 2018 during which she held the positions of Rapporteur and Vice-Chair of Jurisprudence.
Justice Shujune emerged victorious in a competitive field of 14 candidates vying for 12 seats. Her extensive experience within civil society and the judiciary, particularly in the areas of torture elimination and human rights protection, underscores her qualifications for this role.
This year, the Maldives marks 19 years since joining the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT).
The Maldives was the first State party from Asia and one of the original twenty State parties to join.
The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture is the largest human rights treaty body of the United Nations. It is an international body established by the OPCAT consisting of 25 independent experts.
ENDS