Despite an international ban, many governments still torture their political opponents
Heather van Niekerk In the past three years people reportedly died as a result of torture in more than 80 countries. Torture or ill-treatment by state agents was reported in more than 150 countries and was widespread in more than 70.
Palden Gyatso is a Tibetan monk who spent 33 years in Chinese prison and labour camps before fleeing. Referring to an electric cattle prod Gyatso says: “This is the worst thing … They used it all the time on my body. They tortured me because I was speaking out for independence and I will continue to speak out.” China is but one of the many countries in which torture continues with impunity. A young Tibetan nun, Ngawang Sangdrol, embodies the enduring spirit of resistance to the Chinese government. Detained for the first time at the age of 13 for joining a pro-independence demonstration, she has now been sentenced to a total of 21 years’ imprisonment. In May 1998 Ngawang Sangdrol was already in poor health from frequent beatings and lengthy periods in isolation. Fellow prisoners continue to fear for her safety. In Tibet torture is a routine part of interrogation, used to secure information. Punching, kicking, use of electric batons, forced standing, exposure to extreme temperatures and deprivation of food, water and sleep are commonly reported. The Chinese authorities deny torture and other abuses exist in Tibet and elsewhere within their areas of control. Several international delegations – including some from South Africa – regularly visit China. As in the cases of officially sanctioned delegations to South Africa under apartheid, these visitors are shown what the authorities want them to see and they are taken where the authorities want them to go. It is fair to assume that weapons of any sort that end up in the hands of the Chinese authorities will be used to suppress dissent in those areas under their political control. This sheds doubt on the wisdom of the recent decision of the South African government to sell weapons to China. But torture and ill-treatment are occurring in different settings, both in democracies and dictatorships, in places of detention, schools and homes. Methods of torture have expanded as the trade in torture equipment has become more globalised. In some cases, torture is now more high-tech with the manufacture, export and use of devices designed specifically for use on human beings. During the past decade more than 120 companies, operating in 22 countries, have manufactured, sold, advertised or sought to procure electroshock equipment. In 1995 the MD of a Scottish company, ICL Technical Plastics, admitted selling electroshock batons to China in 1990. Chinese companies have copied these batons and now mass produce and export them. It is easier for the torturer to inflict pain on someone who is seen as less than human. Discrimination against despised social, ethnic or political groups paves the way for torture by allowing the victim to be seen not as human but as an object which can be treated inhumanely. Worldwide there is a pattern of racially motivated torture and ill-treatment by state officials. Many of the victims of police brutality in Europe and the United States are black or members of ethnic minorities. Children have reportedly been tortured or ill-treated in more than 50 countries in the past three years, proving that youth is no protection against torture. Children in police custody are particularly vulnerable to rape and sexual abuse. Discrimination against women continues to take violent forms – women are raped in custody or as “spoils of war”, their genitals are mutilated in the name of tradition, they are flogged or killed in the name of honour. Women live in a state of torture in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Torture is illegal under international law and 119 countries – including South Africa – have ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (the major international treaty banning torture). However, many governments choose not to bring torturers to justice. More shocking than the statistics on torture is the fact that torture can be stopped but is allowed to persist. Governments continue to allow torture and ill-treatment to go on, often turning a blind eye or using it to hold on to power. Amnesty International is of the opinion that only public pressure can force governments to take action to stop torture.
Heather van Niekerk is the chair of Amnesty International South Africa. Amnesty International’s report on torture is available at the campaign website: www.stoptorture.org