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| Photo by Medical Action Group |
June 26
Declaration on the Fight against Torture Impunity in the Philippines
The undersigned participants of the Forum-Dialogue, “End
Torture in the Philippines” held at the InterContinental Hotel in Makati City,
Philippines on June 26, 2014, International Day in Support of Victims of
Torture have adopted the following:
Considering,
1.
That
torture is one of the most serious violations of human rights; it destroys
dignity, body and mind and has far reaching effect on family and community;
freedom from torture is enshrined in various international human rights
instruments and national laws; and prohibition of torture is absolute and can
never be justified in any circumstance or “non-derogable”;
Bearing in mind,
2. That crime of torture
is committed against men, women and children. In most cases, torture
perpetrators go unpunished;
3. That
impunity is the failure of the authorities to fully investigate violations; to
bring to justice and punish perpetrators; to provide victims with effective
remedies; and to take all necessary steps to prevent the violation to happen
again;
