UATC Support Statement on
Amnesty International’s Global Campaign Against Torture
13 May 2014
Empowering the Torture Victims is a key in Fighting Impunity
Torture is an affront to human life and dignity that cannot be justified under any circumstances in any parts of the world.
The United Against Torture Coalition – Philippines (UATC) restates its commitments to fight against torture and end impunity by upholding the basic human rights and dignity of every individual as it joins the Amnesty International in the launching of the Global Campaign Against Torture.
The global campaign, which will be carried out through holding of series of public events, is aimed to remind all States including the Philippine government of their obligations to respect and guarantee the right of every person to be free from torture and ill-treatment, to effectively bring those responsible to justice, and to guarantee reparative measures to victims and their families.
The UATC- Philippines laments that the practice of torture continue to occur in a widespread and systematic manner everywhere in the world. The Philippines is no exemption. Despite the enactment a domestic law criminalizing torture in 2009 which is purportedly aimed at ending impunity and giving meaning to the Convention Against Torture to which the Philippines is state party since June 1986, torture is continuously being committed by government authorities or agents of the state particularly the police and the military usually to punish, to obtain information or a confession, to take revenge on a person or persons, and to sow terror and fear not only to victims but also to their families and the larger society.