The Redress Trust Limited

Homepage

Who We Are

REDRESS is an international human rights organisation that represents victims of torture to obtain justice and reparation. We bring legal cases on behalf of individual victims of torture and advocate for better laws to provide effective reparations. Our cases respond to torture as an individual crime in national and international law, and as a human rights violation with state responsibility. We apply our expertise in torture, reparation, and the rights of victims to national and international courts. Through our victim-centred strategic litigation, we are able to have an impact beyond the individual case to address the root causes of torture and to challenge impunity. We conduct research and advocacy on torture, reparations, and the rights of victims, to identify the changes in law, policy and practice that are necessary. We work collaboratively with international and national organisations and grassroots victims’ groups.

Justice for Torture Survivors

For 25 years, REDRESS has represented individual victims of torture to obtain justice and reparation for their torture. Many of these clients live in the United Kingdom, and have been tortured abroad, or remain in detention where they continue to be ill-treated. They (or their families) contact us directly for help, through our website, on the phone, or by walking through our door. Many are members of groups who have escaped conflict and live in exile in their communities.

We obtain justice for torture survivors through client support, community engagement, and legal representation. Through our holistic approach to strategic litigation, we ensure full support for the torture survivor while seeking change beyond the individual case.

Impact

Our work helps us to make a difference to the lives of a substantial number of particularly disadvantaged people. Litigation has an impact in different ways: through specific reparations for the clients, changes in political attitudes, changes in policy and practice, and by galvanizing communities. Our victim-centred approach allows us to focus on the needs of the individual, but ultimately the strength to move a case forward comes from the survivors themselves, and the support they receive from their families and their communities, as well as from REDRESS. As one survivor noted following a positive verdict in his case:

“I felt for once vindicated and relieved from the constant necessity to explain what happened to me and its consequences on my psychological well-being”.

We maintain close relationships with former detainees and their families and can see in our work that the opportunity to share their stories and experiences together can be both mutually empowering and profoundly moving. We have seen that progress in one case can positively affect our ability to engage in another.