National Human Rights Commission Lebanon

The National Human Rights Commission, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT), is Lebanon’s official National Human Rights Institution. It was established by Law No. 62 of 27 October 2016 in line with the Paris Principles, which define the international standards for the mandate, independence, pluralism, and functioning of national human rights institutions. The creation of the NHRC-CPT responded to longstanding recommendations by the United Nations Human Rights Council and international human rights treaty bodies urging Lebanon to establish an independent and effective national human rights institution.

The NHRC-CPT has a broad mandate to promote and protect human rights in Lebanon. Its work is grounded in institutional independence, pluralistic membership, functional autonomy, and engagement with national authorities, civil society, and international human rights mechanisms. Although it is funded through the state budget, the Commission operates independently from the executive branch and is neither a governmental body nor a non-governmental organization. It serves as a permanent institutional bridge between the state and civil society, contributing to accountability, dialogue, and reform.

As part of its mandate, the NHRC-CPT also functions as Lebanon’s National Preventive Mechanism against torture. Lebanon acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture under Law No. 12 of 5 September 2008, thereby committing, under Article 17 of the Protocol, to establish an independent mechanism to prevent torture and ill-treatment. This commitment is fulfilled through the Committee for the Prevention of Torture within the NHRC-CPT, which is mandated to monitor places of deprivation of liberty and work to prevent torture and other ill-treatment.

The NHRC-CPT was operationalized through Decree No. 3267 of 19 June 2018, which appointed its members, and Decree No. 5147 of 5 July 2019, which further clarified its mandate and functioning.