MAG STATEMENT
June 26, 2025
On this International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Medical Action Group (MAG) stands in solidarity with all survivors of torture and ill-treatment. We raise our collective voice to express grave concern over the persistent and systemic neglect of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who are in urgent need of medical care.
It is both alarming and indefensible that even detainees with the financial means to access treatment are denied adequate healthcare. What, then, is left for the indigent, the marginalized, and the forgotten—those suffering in silence behind bars?
This is not merely a failure in service delivery. It is a serious violation of the fundamental rights to health, dignity, and life. The denial or delay of medical attention constitutes cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment—and, in many cases, amounts to torture by omission. The current custodial health system is failing in its most basic duty: to protect life and uphold the inherent dignity of every individual under state custody.
As health professionals and human rights advocates, we affirm unequivocally: healthcare is a right, not a privilege. The duty to provide medical care does not end at prison gates. PDLs must have guaranteed access to timely, adequate, and continuous healthcare—including the right to consult physicians of their choice—especially in cases involving chronic illness, mental and physical disability, or terminal conditions.
MAG urgently calls for the immediate adoption and implementation of medical parole and compassionate release policies for elderly, seriously ill, and disabled detainees. These are not acts of mercy—they are legal, ethical, and moral imperatives under international human rights law, national legislation, and accepted standards of medical ethics. The continued incarceration of those who are gravely ill and pose no public safety risk serves no legitimate purpose. It only prolongs suffering and betrays our collective humanity.
We cannot speak of justice while turning a blind eye to the suffering of those in our care. A justice system that condones torture whether through direct acts or systemic neglect, is not just flawed; it is fundamentally unjust.
Torture—whether physical, psychological, or systemic must be eradicated in all its forms. MAG has witnessed, over decades of service, the long-term effects of torture: chronic pain, debilitating trauma, emotional desolation, and the slow erosion of human will. Survivors and their families bear invisible wounds that can only begin to heal through truth, accountability, and sustained care.
We strongly urge the full enforcement of the Anti-Torture Act of 2009 and the immediate establishment of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). These are crucial safeguards to monitor detention facilities, ensure transparency, prevent abuse, and combat impunity. Without them, torture continues behind closed doors and with it, irreparable harm.
As an immediate step toward restorative justice and humane detention, MAG calls for the institutionalization of Compassionate Early Release. This policy would allow detainees suffering from terminal illness, permanent disability, or the effects of aging to access proper care—either in appropriate facilities or within the support systems of their families. Compassion must be a cornerstone of any just society.
Torture and systemic neglect can never be justified, not in the name of discipline, not for reasons of security, and certainly not under the guise of justice. A humane and democratic society must be one that values life, affirms dignity, and leaves no one behind.