Secretary-General Kofi Annan, High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and 33 independent human rights experts expressed concerns on Human Rights Day about the growing trend of countries to challenge the prohibition of torture, use secret detentions and use diplomatic assurances in the name of national security.

![Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike on the village of Taybeh in southern Lebanon [Source: Al Jazeera]](https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-20-at-15.56.24-300x200.png)


