Media and torture
by Melanie Y. Pinlac
Not only the inefficient justice system but media as well have contributed to “a culture of silence” among victims of torture.
This was one of the main points raised in a Manila-held forum on torture. The International Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (IRCT), the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), and the Balay Rehabilitation Center organized the day-long forum “Torture: Is it happening Again in the Philippines?” last June 25 at the Richmonde Hotel in Pasig City.
In celebration of the United Nations Day in Support of Torture Victims, the forum updated journalists on the international and local campaigns against torture. The forum also served as a venue to examine media coverage of torture in the Philippines.
A common practice
The United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment defines torture as “the intentional infliction of severe physical or mental pain or suffering for purposes by, or with the consent of, the state authorities for a specific purpose.” The Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) that the Philippine government signed in April 2008 bars the use of torture in all circumstances.
But the presence of OPCAT and other international laws prohibiting torture has not prevented the practice of torture in the Philippines. A fact-finding mission by IRCT, FIHD, and the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates found that torture is widely practiced in the Philippines. According to the mission report, police and military agents use torture against suspected terrorists and criminals, while non-state armed groups use it on their captives. They also cited the lack of local criminal laws on torture and the victims’ having the burden of proof as factors in the widespread practice of torture.
Many Filipinos also view torture as a common and normal procedure in law enforcement. A 2007 BBC survey showed that 40 percent of Filipinos interviewed believe that the torture of prisoners is permissible to a certain extent. It placed the Philippines third along with Indonesia among 25 countries that view torture as permissible.
The common view that torture is permissible and the inefficiency of the justice system compel most victims to keep their experiences to themselves in fear of ostracism and retaliation, the speakers said.
Blind on torture
Unfortunately, most media practitioners also assume the permissibility of torture and thus contribute to its continuing practice in the Philippines.
The media’s misunderstanding of torture has resulted in underreporting it. News on torture and other human rights violations seldom get printed in the mainstream media. Carlos Conde, the Philippine correspondent for the New York Times and International Herald Tribune, explained that some journalists and sources view human rights and torture reporting as a form of advocacy that compromises objectivity.
As a result, most reports on torture and human rights violations appear only in the alternative press. “What these media outlets (alternative press) have in common is that reporting on human rights is part of their advocacy. Perhaps more importantly, they don’t operate in the same environment as the mainstream press,” he added.
Participants observed that many news reports that do get aired or printed often suggest that acts of torture are permissible and normal. For example, such reports are often biased against suspects, and ignore the fact that suspects also have rights. News programs often air crime reports showing a complainant or policemen slapping, punching, or kicking suspects. By airing this kind of reports, the media predispose their audiences to convicting suspects even before they are tried.
Some journalists report petty crimes rather than police/state brutality in fear of losing their sources. “We’ve heard of tales by our colleagues being ostracized in their beats and being ignored by their sources for their reportage on human rights,” Conde said. “In other words, human rights and torture are subjects that can emasculate the journalist.”
There are also journalists who accept torture as standard operating procedure in arresting and investigating suspects—just like how law enforcement agents see it, Conde said.
Some police and defense reporters even join in torturing suspects and prisoners. Ed Lingao, ABC-5’s News Operations department head, said some reporters, cameramen, and photographers punch suspects when they are brought to the police stations. “Once they even mistook a complainant for a suspect,” he said in Filipino.
Steps taken
To address the problems on reporting torture, human rights groups have launched an international awareness campaign on torture prevention for the media. For example, the FIDH and IRCT have organized workshops and forums for the media in 10 countries where there is a war on terror. Loraine Dela Cruz, IRCT Council of Leader and Balay Board chair, said during the forum that they “want to help establish a network of international journalists involved in human rights reporting. These jour-nalists…will receive training in analyzing and reporting on human rights matter with focus on torture in the context of the fight against terror.”
Local human rights groups also said they are willing to partner with media groups to hold forums on torture prevention. Asian Human Rights Commission executive director Basil Fernando shared how good reporting on a young torture victim which came out in the Sri Lankan media encouraged other victims to come forward.
Media groups have also formed modules for human rights reporting in the Philippines. The Human Rights Reporting Project (organized by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting together with NUJP, MindaNews, and the Center for Community Journalism and Development), uses their modules in forums they launched nationwide. The group also provides space for human rights stories in its website (http://www. rightsreporting.net/).
Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist John Nery also suggested that the media “help create a climate for telling torture stories…where stories like torture can be told in comfort, and in some safety without questions of credibility and extravagance.” After all, as Fernando said, the willingness of victims to talk is what’s critical in torture reporting. |
