Rights watchdog decries police torture of detainee
An international human rights group has condemned the alleged torture of a detainee by a police official in Carmona town, Cavite province, which was caught on video and later went viral on the Internet.
In a statement, Amnesty International Philippines denounced the incident perpetrated by a member of the Philippine National Police and branded it as “unacceptable.”
“Amnesty International decries these acts by members of the Philippine National Police as unacceptable… This has to change,” said Amnesty International Philippines director Gemma Regina Cunanan.
The global movement noted that the video of Chief Insp. Jigger Noceda, Carmona chief of police, surfaced days before the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, was scheduled to visit the country.
In the video, Noceda was seen striking a suspected thief who reportedly stole a cell phone, while two other policemen, PO2 Danilo Ang and PO1 Bernard Amadure, looked on.
The three policemen have been relieved from their posts following the incident.
Amnesty International said that it has recorded 75 torture cases in 2013 alone, 80 percent of which involve police officers.
The group said that while it welcomes the UN SPT’s visit from May 25 to June 3, it is bothered about how the Philippine government complied with its obligations under the Optional Protocol on the Convention against Torture.
