The United Nations reaffirmed on Friday that torture is illegal and that refugees deserve protection, while ducking any direct criticism of remarks made by new US President Donald Trump.

Major human rights groups have denounced Trump’s stance on torture and warned against restoring a CIA secret detention programme for interrogating terror suspects.

Trump is also reviewing spending, including at the UN, where the United States is the largest donor.

“International human rights law is clear on the absolute prohibition on torture,” UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a news briefing.

Pressed repeatedly to comment on Trump’s remarks this week that torture “works”, Colville noted that prominent US Senators including Republican John McCain, himself a torture victim, and Democrat Dianne Feinstein, who chaired an inquiry on the CIA programme under former President George W Bush, had spoken out.

It was still very early days in terms of how the UN human rights office interacts with the new administration, he said. “We have to work out strategically what is going to be effective.”

The UNHCR was also tepid in its comments on Trump’s moves to restrict refugees. 

He is expected to sign an executive order that would include a temporary ban on all refugees, and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria and six other Middle Eastern and African countries.

Envoy vows to ‘show US strength’

UNITED NATIONS: Washington’s new ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, vowed on Friday to show US strength in global affairs and delivered a blunt warning to opponents of President Donald Trump’s policies. 

“For those who don’t have our backs: we’re taking names,” Haley told reporters as she arrived at United Nations headquarters for her first meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. (AFP)