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Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Jun 2006 : 15:45:28
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Editorial
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND TORTURE
Yesterday, 6th June 2006, the National Assembly ratified the Convention against torture and other cruel inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Accordingto the Convention, torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiscence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.
The ratification of the Convention imposes on the Executive and the National Assembly to ensure that torture becomes a criminal offence.
The Convention calls for strict penalties to be imposed for torture and for those who carryout torture and flee their country to be subjected to extradition treaties between countries, which have ratified the Convention.
The Convention went further to make it a requirement for state parties to ensure that education and information regarding the prohibition against torture are fully included in the training of law enforcement personnel, civil or military, medical personnel, public officials and other persons who may be involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of any individual subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment.
Foroyaa sees the need to start this education to enable Gambians to know that it is a crime against humanity to systematically subject one’s fellow human being to torture. The human mind is delicate. The human skin is soft. Any subjection to isolation and intimidation can cause pain to the mind. any subjection to beating, electric shocks, and other cruel punishment can lead to physical pain. Why should a human being subject another to such pain. what is the objective? History has shown that regimes which utilize torture systematically to silence public dissent ends up building records of torture that ultimately undermine their national and international integrity as victims of castrations, electric shocks, beatings and other injuries escape their motherland and reveal their ordeal to human rights institutions in other countries. It is such records that lead to the international isolation of governments. It is therefore necessary for the National Security Council of the Gambia to do what is required by article 11 of the Convention on torture. It states that each country shall keep under systematic review interrogation rules, instructions, methods and practices as well as arrangements for the custody and treatment of persons subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment with a view to preventing any cases of torture. Foroyaa has always emphasised that a government usually gets the type of law enforcement agents that it is committed to establish. Law enforcement agents depend on rewards and punishments or conscience to carryout their functions. No law enforcement agent will torture a person if he or she knows that he or she will be repremanded for it. A head of state or minister or secretary of state for interior who loves the people of his or her country will quickly conduct investigation on any allegation of torture and make public pronouncement of the results of investigations to defend the integrity of a government. Such actions would give confidence to the citizenry to report violations and put an end to the culture of impunity, cruelty and oppression of human beings by those who have allowed their conscience to die. Only a person who forgets that he or she can get ill and die young or that he or she will get old and go to his or her grave can play the role of a god above his or her fellow human beings. A truly humane person will hate to inflict pain on his or her fellow human being. This is the sovereign Gambian who should be a citizen of the Gambia in the 21st century. We hope all Gambians from the executive accross the board will strive to be that just and humane citizen. Gambia will then be a model nation in the 21st century. The destiny of the country lies in tehhands of the people.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 44/2006, 8 - 11 June, 2006
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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