"You helped set me free"

Suresh is a torture survivor in his 40s, originally from Sri Lanka. In 2009, he was imprisoned by the authorities because of his support for Tamil independence. He was separated from his wife, and tortured for two months. Here he expresses his gratitude to Freedom from Torture and our supporters…

Blog by Suresh



I was beaten, burned and witnessed other people being tortured in front of me. Eventually, I was able to escape by bribing an official to let me go. I immediately fled to the UK, and after six years apart, was reunited with my wife.

Shortly after, I started receiving therapy from Freedom from Torture. Before I was inside a cage, but because of therapy, I have been released from that cage.

I recently gave my wonderful therapist Maide a framed photo I took of a bird flying freely. I feel this bird represents how I felt after receiving therapy.

Every time I come to Freedom from Torture it has been very special. Without the supporters, Freedom from Torture would not exist and I would not have been able to receive the support I desperately needed.

I was quite fearful when I arrived in this country. I always felt anxious and frightened. But with the help of an expert therapist, those feelings have disappeared and I am much better.

There are a lot of people who are like me who need this type of therapy, and by giving money to this organisation, there will be more like me who will make use of this. I would like to see more people come to this organisation for this type of help. Thank you!