OZAMIZ CIY: A 120-page dossier detailing serious
allegations of torture by the Philippine National Police (PNP) has been
released by Amnesty International.
A pervasive culture of impunity is allowing torture
by police to go unchecked in the Philippines, said Amnesty International (AI).
AI said methods such as electrocution, mock
executions, waterboarding, asphyxiating with plastic bags, beatings and rape
continue to be employed by officers who torture for extortion and to extract
confessions.
Many police officers abuse their power while making
a mockery of their duty to protect and serve the people,” said Salil Shetty, AI
secretary-general.
The passage of a progressive Anti-Torture Act should
have been a landmark moment, but not a single official has been convicted so
far, she said.
The Philippines is the third of five countries to
become the focus of AI’s campaign, Stop Torture.
The Philippines has an exemplary record when it
comes to signing up to human rights treaties, but without the robust
prosecution of torturers these human rights commitments risk becoming empty
promises,” said Shetty.
The report is based on in-depth research, including
more than 55 chilling testimonies of survivors tortured since 2009, when the
law criminalizing torture in the Philippines was enacted.
Twenty-one of the torture survivors interviewed were
children when they were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. Eight
said they were threatened at gunpoint or subjected to a game of “Russian
Roulette”.
The report also documents a number of attempted
extrajudicial executions, with two survivors telling Amnesty International they
were shot and left for dead.
Among its detailed recommendations, AI has proposed
untangling this mess by establishing one unified, independent and effective
police complaints commission.
A concerted effort must be made to wipe out torture
and the culture of impunity that perpetuates it, AI continued, and must start
with effective prevention, and where it fails, thorough investigations, robust
prosecutions and a streamlined independent complaint mechanism to ensure that
no one is above the law.