(Due to its timeliness, we yield this space to the statement of human rights alliance on the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on June 26. – Ed.)
THE USE of physical or psychological torture to obtain information, punish, intimidate or coerce, or discriminate is considered a criminal act under Philippine laws, and yet the practice remains pervasive in the numerous cases of violations of the exercise of freedom of association and expression of entire communities, organizations and human rights defenders. Torture also comes as a prelude to being killed or disappeared, and while under detention.
Right now, the most widely practiced form of torture is barging into homes and swooping down on communities, arbitrarily accusing individuals and groups of affiliation with progressive organizations and the communists, bribing them, and mouthing threats of physical harm and violence against them and their families if they do not comply with government demands to disaffiliate from their unions or organizations and identify and inform on their colleagues.
In Davao City, long-time community organizer and trade unionist Susano Labora succumbed to a stroke after being intensively harassed and interrogated on May 4 and 5, 2023 by men who introduced themselves as “admins” from the Philippine Army. The mental and psychological distress that the 60-year old Labora had gone through was such that he could neither eat nor sleep. By May 6, he suffered chest pains and a severe headache and died of a stroke.
In jails, despite the prohibition of any form of interrogation without the presence of counsel, political prisoners are likewise subjected to such forms of psychological torture. Perpetrators introduce themselves as intelligence service agents, or personnel from the office of the peace adviser or of the task force to end local communist armed conflict.
Then, there are documented cases where victims are abducted and subjected to relentless interrogation by State agents, physically assaulted, bound like animals prepared for slaughter, and then killed or disappeared.
Torture, in all its forms, remains one of the most abhorrent violations of human rights. It inflicts severe pain, suffering, and anguish on its victims, leaving indelible scars that transcend physical wounds. Psychological and mental torture can be just as devastating as physical torture. The insidious tactics of threats, harassment, and intimidation employed by State forces have far-reaching consequences on the psychological well-being of individuals and entire communities. The persistent climate of fear and insecurity generated through these methods creates a chilling effect that undermines the freedom of expression, assembly, and association, inhibiting the vibrant democratic discourse essential for a thriving society.
