"I know only too well how torture destroys lives": Human Rights Day 2024
Today, torture is still happening all around the world. As a survivor, I’m calling on the UK Government to hold the line when it comes to upholding the absolute ban.
By Kolbassia Haoussou, Director of Survivor Leadership and Influencing at Freedom from Torture
When I fled torture in my homeland, the UK granted me sanctuary and a chance to rebuild my life. I know only too well how torture destroys lives. I was referred to Freedom from Torture who helped me to understand what had happened to me, and how to cope with the damage caused by torture. Today, in our therapy rooms up and down the country we continue to bear witness to the long and agonising journey of rebuilding lives torn apart by violence.
It’s the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and without this vital piece of legislation I would have been deported from safety in the UK and sent back into the hands of my torturers. And yet, today, all around the world, we’re seeing the incidences and acceptance of torture rising and the fight for justice and reparations for survivors is under threat. The prohibition on torture is absolute and states must take positive steps to prevent it. Authoritarian governments seek to suppress popular movements and protest and use torture to silence people and destroy lives. And in recent years the traditional defenders of the absolute ban on torture – countries like the UK – have been backsliding on their obligations.
Today, torture is still happening all around the world. As a survivor, I’m calling on the UK Government to hold the line when it comes to upholding the absolute ban.
It is also 40 years since Freedom from Torture opened its doors to survivors from around the world. Over the last four decades, our therapists have witnessed the physical and mental scars of torture, supporting thousands of survivors in their painful journey towards healing. Alongside survivors themselves, we fight to hold torturing states and those that support them to account. We campaign tirelessly for the fairer treatment in the UK of people who’ve been tortured. And yet now, the re-election of a US President who has advocated torture sends a shocking message to both torturers and survivors across the globe.
But worst of all, this is a green light to torturing states, and we should all be very concerned. President Trump’s victory makes clear that it’s more important than ever that the UK leads by example in meeting its obligations to uphold the absolute ban on torture without fear or favour.
Now, more than ever, the UK must show global leadership and stand up for survivors.
The risks are grave. Now is the time for the UK to act as a global leader in ending all forms of torture, not inspiring other countries to ditch their responsibilities through its own transgressions. All laws in the UK should be compliant with the UK’s international obligations, but recently there has been unprecedented backsliding when it comes to torture. It’s vital that there is commitment from the people in power to repeal or amend recent laws which deny justice to survivors and breach the UK’s obligations under the absolute prohibition on torture, including the Overseas Operations Act, the Northern Ireland Troubles Act and the National Security Act.
The UK Government must support transparent and independent investigations and prosecutions of alleged British involvement in torture. Shocking revelations from the ongoing Afghanistan Inquiry have shone a light on the desperate need for robust accountability processes. It’s the responsibility of governments to actively promote and advance accountability measures, and we’re calling on our politicians to place the absolute prohibition on torture at the very heart of UK foreign policy. Regressive moves have seriously damaged the UK’s reputation for promoting human rights globally and should be scrapped without delay.
No government should ever commit or tolerate torture. It’s the most terrible abuse of power towards a defenseless person, a violation of their human rights and dignity, to deliberately cause pain, suffering and mental anguish. People who’ve survived torture experience ongoing trauma for years. Physical pain, problems with sleeping, concentrating, trusting others, and memory. Flashbacks and panic attacks sparked by sounds, smells, corridors, water, darkness. Countries like the UK must do more to help prevent torture. Now, more than ever, the UK must show global leadership and stand up for survivors.
Survivors are, tragically, experts by experience, and our expertise has never been needed more. We’re urging those in positions of power to ensure that survivors’ voices are at the heart of the UK national and international policy on torture, including on justice and reparations. We need to be around the table together with decision-makers helping them see better how they can create positive changes. And how high the stakes are.
Survivors are not going to stop fighting to protect the absolute ban on torture. And we will continue to raise awareness of the crimes of torturing states and keep pressuring the UK Government to uphold its commitment to uphold its international legal obligations.
The UK has a long and proud history of staunch opposition to torture, stretching all the way back to the 13th century and the Magna Carta. The UK must stand up and hold the line when it comes to protecting the absolute ban on torture in the 21st century. This includes providing sanctuary to people fleeing torture.
When one in three people who are arriving in countries like the UK are estimated to have experienced torture, they deserve our compassion and support to recover. They need to heal, to feel safe and strong again, and be given the chance to rebuild their lives. Now more than ever is the time for principled global leadership by the UK in demonstrating that torture is always wrong and will never be tolerated.
