(Hong Kong, June 23, 2009) With the practice of torture rampant across Asia, it remains one of the most serious obstacles to social health. To battle this injustice, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) announced today its plan to launch a year-long campaign to lobby for the criminalisation of torture in Asian countries, starting June 26. This will correlate with the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
Working with Community TV, the AHRC will kick of the campaign with our first ever live program, with our panel of experts taking real-time questions from viewers on the use of torture and its implications. It will air at noon on June 26 at www.communitytv.hk/AHRClive
Basil Fernando, the Executive Director of the AHRC, believes that the fight against torture has to start from the top. At an AHRC online press conference this Wednesday he noted: Torture is used daily in Asia, especially in state institutions like the police force. It’s a serious issue in countries like the Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Thailand, where the practice of torture is used frequently to achieve the desired outcome which is often a confession regardless of a person’s guilt. As statesmen, we have to ask our country to implement and enforce laws that would criminalise torture and establish credible justice”.
Despite the introduction of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment twenty-two years ago, most Asian states have yet to ratify the convention or set up a functioning domestic legal framework to stop torture. The AHRC reports that many Asian states have been reluctant to take steps because of concern for national security. Practices such as prolonged periods of detention and extreme forms of torture are justified under the shield of nationalism.
During the press conference journalists from Pakistan questioned the tight grip of the feudal government on the law in their country and the corruption that makes torture possible. In Sri Lanka press members noted that brutal or insensitive treatment can now be found in courts and hospitals, which just works to quieten an already cowed community. In India journalists commented that the violence wrought by the police in Manipur on civilians is as bad, if not worse than that of the insurgents there.
Many attempts have been made from the grassroots level to fight against torture, yet victims simply don’t have support from the system. Clogged avenues of complaint don’t allow them to seek justice, or obtain witness protection. The possibility of impartial investigations, prompt prosecutions and proportionate punishments are almost non-existent without a clear defined legal framework in place. As a result a fearful cloud of silence has descended on many of Asia’s poorer people.
The AHRC calls on the governments in Asia to eliminate the professional torture and to carry out reforms in their justice institutions. Not only should torture be criminalised, but there should be mechanisms in place that keep law enforcement officers credible and accountable. Progress was made in Bangladesh early this year, when Member of Parliament Saber Hossain Chowdhury successfully pushed forward a bill against torture (currently in the primary stages of introduction in parliament now). This is the first time in the history of Bangladesh that such legislation has been proposed. “Access to justice should be viewed more as a delivery of justice because access doesn’t ensure justice, as we have seen,” says Chowdhury, whose was himself tortured at the hands of police (his case can be found on our website).
One 26 June our interactive video broadcast will allow viewers around Asia to hear, see and question (via messaging) a panel of AHRC staff, made up of lawyers, journalists and activists from across the continent. We will also be broadcasting interviews with victims of torture. This initiative is a joint-effort by AHRC and Community TV, an independent community broadcaster that provides online platform for social-related issues. We look forward to a lively, informative discussion and hope you will be able to join us and will promote the program among your readers and listeners. m among your readers and listeners. The program will be available in the Community TV archive after airing. www.communitytv.hk/AHRClive
