the international covenant on civil and political rights (iccpr), effective 1976, reiterates the fifth article of the udhr; article 7 of the iccpr identically states, “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." because the iccpr is a legally binding agreement, any nation that is signatory to the covenant would be violating international law if it practiced torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.