A/HRC/8/52 page 33 Noting that, under the Geneva Conventions of 1949, torture and inhuman treatment are a grave breach and that, under the Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, acts of torture can constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes, Acknowledging the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances by the General Assembly in its resolution 61/177 of 20 December 2006, as well as Council resolution 7/26 on the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, and recognizing that the entry into force of the Convention, as soon as possible, through its ratification by 20 States, and its implementation will make a significant contribution to the prevention of torture, including through prohibiting places of secret detention, Commending the persistent efforts by civil society, in particular non-governmental organizations, to combat torture and to alleviate the suffering of victims of torture, Bearing in mind paragraph 6 of General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, Recalling its resolutions 5/1 on institution-building of the Human Rights Council and 5/2 on the code of conduct for special procedures mandate holders of the Council of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his or her duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto, Recalling also all relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council and reaffirming the Commission on Human Rights resolutions on the subject, 1. Condemns all forms of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, which are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever and can thus never be justified, and calls upon all Governments to implement fully the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; 2. Condemns in particular any action or attempt by States or public officials to legalize, authorize or acquiesce in torture under any circumstances, including on grounds of national security or through judicial decisions; 3. Decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment for a further period of three years: (a) To seek, receive, examine and act on information from Governments, intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, individuals and groups of individuals regarding issues and alleged cases concerning torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; (b) To conduct country visits with the consent or at the invitation of Governments;