Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture

Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT France; French: Action des chrétiens pour l'abolition de la torture) is a French association founded in 1974 that works for respect for the rights of every human being, whether free or imprisoned. It campaigns particularly against torture and ill-treatment, for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, and for the defence of the right to asylum in France. It is an ecumenical Christian association recognised as being of public utility, bringing together Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christians as well as members of other confessions and laypeople. ACAT France is a member of the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights reporting to the Prime Minister, and of the International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT), which groups around thirty ACATs worldwide and holds consultative status with the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. It is also a member of the International Coordination for the Decade of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence. To promote its work and to be able to appeal for donations in confidence, the association adheres to the Comité de la Charte. Its stated purpose is to combat torture, judicial or extra-judicial capital executions, cruel, inhuman or degrading sentences or treatment, disappearances, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocides, and to assist victims of these crimes, notably by constituting itself as a civil party before criminal courts and by contributing to their protection through action in favour of the right to asylum and vigilance regarding dangerous returns. The organisation was founded by two Protestant women, Hélène Engel and Edith du Tertre, who were sensitised to the question of torture after a conference by Italian pastor Tullio Vinay on his return from South Vietnam in 1974. In 1989 ACAT France was awarded the Human Rights Prize of the French Republic. Its presidents have included Gabriel Nissim (2015-2017), Florence Couprie (2017-2018), Bénédicte Tardi (2018), Bernadette Forhan (2018-2022), Yves Rolland (2022-2025) and, since 2025, Luc Bellière. The association has been active on contemporary issues including police violence in France, arms exports, and the abolition of the death penalty in Lebanon.

ACAT France was founded in 1974 by two Protestant women, Hélène Engel and Edith du Tertre, who were sensitised to the question of torture after a conference by Italian pastor Tullio Vinay on his return from South Vietnam in 1974. The association was created to work for respect for the rights of every human being, whether free or imprisoned, and has since its creation provided assistance to victims and contributed to their protection, notably through action in favour of the right to asylum. It is an ecumenical Christian association recognised as being of public utility, bringing together Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christians as well as members of other confessions and laypeople. ACAT France is a member of the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights reporting to the Prime Minister. It is a member of the International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT), which groups around thirty ACATs worldwide and holds consultative status with the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. It is also a member of the International Coordination for the Decade of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence. To promote its work and to be able to appeal for donations in confidence, the association adheres to the Comité de la Charte. In 1989 ACAT France was awarded the Human Rights Prize of the French Republic. In February 2014, ACAT France caused a chill in relations between France and Morocco by filing a complaint against Abdellatif Hammouchi, head of Morocco's DGST, taking advantage of his visit to Paris to ask French authorities to hear him over alleged torture of two Moroccan citizens, Adil Lamtalsi and Naâma Asfari. In March 2016, ACAT France published a report titled 'L'Ordre et la Force' on the use of force by French police and gendarmerie, assessing police violence in France between 2005 and 2015. In June 2016, ACAT France supported a complaint filed by a family from the Gaza Strip against the French company Exxelia for complicity in war crimes and involuntary homicide; the plaintiffs, assisted by ACAT France, were members of a family whose three children died in an Israeli strike during the 2014 Gaza war. In May 2019, the association filed a référé liberté to prevent an export of French weapons to Saudi Arabia, stating that these weapons could be used in the war in Yemen, as indicated by a Disclose investigation. On 11 March 2020, ACAT France published a highly critical report on police violence during the policing of protests in France, particularly since the yellow vests movement. The investigation targeted government instructions given to law enforcement and did not seek to stigmatise its executors, the gendarmes and police. In this report, ACAT France warned about the excessive and especially offensive use of LBDs and tear gas and disencirclement grenades, which cause many injuries and mutilations. It also denounced the increasingly systematic use of the police tactic of the 'nasse'. It expressed indignation at judicial and political authorities and a two-speed justice: impunity for police who commit illegitimate violence, non-wearing of the mandatory RIO number, lengthy judicial procedure of the IGPN; while for arrested protesters, the immediacy and severity of sanctions were seen as intimidation measures. Finally, ACAT France made several proposals such as the creation of an 'independent body responsible for investigating facts committed by police and gendarmerie agents', questioning the impartiality of investigations carried out by the IGPN or IGGN. It also invited the government to favour alternative solutions to French-style policing: setting up dedicated dialogue units (as in Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany), and the presence of liaison officers at protests. The association's presidents have included Gabriel Nissim (2015-2017), Florence Couprie (2017-2018), Bénédicte Tardi (2018), Bernadette Forhan (2018-2022), Yves Rolland (2022-2025) and, since 2025, Luc Bellière. Its archives are conserved by the Centre national des archives de l'Église de France (51 PP).

• 2025

  Luc Bellière becomes president.

• 2020

  Published critical report on police violence during protests.

• 2019

  Filed référé liberté to block arms export to Saudi Arabia.

• 2016

  Published report 'L'Ordre et la Force' on police violence; supported Gaza family complaint against Exxelia.

• 2014

  Filed complaint against Moroccan DGST head Abdellatif Hammouchi.

• 1989

  Awarded the Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.

• 1974

  ACAT France founded by Hélène Engel and Edith du Tertre.

Christian human rights association campaigning against torture and the death penalty and for the right to asylum.

1. 1Accueil - ACATacatfrance.fr
2. 2Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torturewikidata.org
3. 3Action des chrétiens pour l'abolition de la torturefr.wikipedia.org