Government Urged to Probe Military Torture Training

Newsdig coverage by Cbanga360.net

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A torture video was uploaded in a popular video-sharing site showing some Philippine military men beating young and new trainees. The video was uploaded by an alleged communist party in Bicol (calling themselves ISNAYP Rebolusyonaryong Midya ng Bikol). The torture video was, accordingly, submitted by the beaten soldiers, to express their dismay over the extremely cruel exercises of the Philippine Military.

The video description says:

ISNAYP releases the following video footage handed over by some soldiers of the 9th Infantry Division Philippine Army based in Kuta Elias Angeles, Pili, Camarines Sur. The AFP’s 9th IDPA directs all military activities in the whole of the Bicol region. This footage covers a significant part of the army recruits’ months-long training (ECO2 Cl 185-08). Dismayed soldiers of the 9th IDPA submitted this video to the National Democratic Front-Bicol to protest the maltreatment and abuse carried out by the Training Unit of the 9th IDPA.

The following video exposes various types of torture inflicted by the 9th IDPA Training Unit on the trainees. According to the upset soldiers who submitted the video, the extremely cruel exercises supposedly prepares the trainees in the eventualities that they will be captured by red fighters of the New People’s Army. However, the 9th IDPA Training Unit’s indoctrination is the exact opposite of the NPA’s policies. Moreso, former prisoners of war of the NPA attest to the NPA’s humane treatment of captives and adherence to international humanitarian law.

With the AFP’s systematic brutality even to its own soldiers, the military’s platitudes of its supposed respect for human rights is nothing but a big lie.

The military admitted the video was taken during an “escape and evasion” training exercise three years ago in eastern Bicol region, but stressed the painful hazing had already been outlawed and was a “thing of the past.”

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should not invoke military training to justify the use of torture and other forms of physical abuse on its recruits, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said on March 20.

Reacting to the spread on the Internet of “torture videos” featuring Filipino soldiers beating up trainees, De Lima said “Torture, for whatever purpose, is reprehensible. Its prohibition is and ought to be absolute and unqualified.”

But De Lima said the AFP should not have allowed its training units to include torture in its training.

“Freedom from torture is a non-derogable human right under any circumstance, irrespective of who the subjects/victims are,” she said.(https://cbanga360.net)


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