The plight of refugees to Ireland, tortured and ill treated in their home countries, was highlighted at a conference in Kilkenny at the weekendOne man, known only as Hasson, catalogued the ill-treatment endured by him in Iraq under Saddam's administration.
He told delegates at the "Challenging Torture in the 21st Century" conference that he knew of no other among the thousands detained with him who survived.
He escaped from Iraq in 2001 after his family bribed a prison guard with €10,000.
He endured two years of torture, being regularly hung upside down from the ceiling on a butcher's hook. He was also blindfolded, had his hands tied behind his back and electrical devices were applied to him.
A photograph of his son, Hussein, who had boiling water poured over him when the Iraqi security forces came to take Hassoto jail, was shown.
His harrowing story was mirrored by other delegates from the Congo, Iran and other parts of the world. The conference was organised by Dóchas, a diocesan group set up to help with the welfare of asylum-seekers, refugees and migrant workers.
Healthcare personnel consistently note that a significant number of refugees arriving in Kilkenny are victims of torture and are deeply traumatised.
Ms Pia Prutz Phiri, of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), said torture continued to be a daily experience for many. And she warned that major terrorist acts had led to exceptions being made on legal standards of human rights.
"In political and legal academic circles we are seeing a trend of justifying the implementation of extreme measures."
She said it was important that more than 50 years of developments in international human rights law not be eroded by a short-sighted wish to deal with a global and very serious problem of terrorism.
"The absolute right not to be tortured in an inhumane or degrading manner must be preserved as it is a testament to our humanity," she said.
Dóchas has made an appeal to the Government during its EU presidency to take effective measures on the abolition of torture, with particular reference to aspiring EU member-states.