Paragraph 58 of the Siracusa Principles of 1985 [35], by the AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS, under the heading of “Non-Derogable Rights”, section D.69, provides:
No state party shall, even in time of emergency threatening the life of the nation,
derogate from the Covenant’s guarantees of the right to life; freedom from torture, cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and from medical or scientific experimentation
without free consent; freedom from slavery or involuntary servitude; the right not to be
imprisoned for contractual debt; the right not to be convicted or sentenced to a heavier
penalty by virtue of retroactive criminal legislation; the right to recognition as a person
before the law; and freedom of thought, conscience and religion. These rights are not
derogable under any conditions even for the asserted purpose of preserving the life of
the nation.