Cases of torture should be revisited under a new administration

Oct 04, 2013 Letters

Dear Editor,
The numerous reported incidents of police torture must be investigated. As criminals become more hardened and their methods more efficient, the Police Force must improve their own efficiency and investigative skills. Almost everyone understands that from time to time a serving member of the Police Force may stray over the line. However, what cannot be accepted is the pervasive torture.
In the spirit of Marxism/Leninism this PPP government is seemingly unwilling to investigate, will not correct, will in fact do nothing to address public concern. They don’t have to, because while they spout democracy, they don’t give a damn about practicing it.
Beating and torturing innocent people into confessions is really like living in a fool’s paradise. Even if the person whose confession is forced is eventually sent to prison, the only thing that happens is police statistics look good; the real criminals are still at large and continue to create mayhem in the streets.
Without attempting to go too far back in the distant past, let me just recall the treatment meted out to the young man whose pelvic area was disfigured. So far he has had no serious redress (Editor’s note: The teen was awarded $6.5M through the High Court). Another more recent example was the beating and torturing of a young man, who, even though he was able to prove to the media and the public that he was beaten and tortured; his clothing soiled in the process, even he could not get justice in this crooked system.
The man in the street is therefore forced to live in fear. Forced because he or she can easily become a victim of crime or be picked up by the state apparatus and tortured into confessing participation in a criminal activity of which he/she has no knowledge
Since the Ministry of Home Affairs will not help in any way, I think that the opposition parties should make the nation a solemn promise. They should promise that whenever this government is changed, they will rigorously revisit each of these cases; they would conduct thorough investigations and will deal with each culpable individual condignly. Each supervisor, each decision maker, who was either tolerant of, or complicit in these barbaric actions, should expect to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
I know some of them will run away, but whatever assets they have should be seized and sold and the proceeds offered as compensation to the people they might have hurt.
People will not sit still forever; if they are to have hope and not explode; they must be given some assurance that the future will be brighter.
Aubrey Retemyer

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