Jerryme Corre, police torture victim in the Philippines
Jerryme Corre, police torture victim in the Philippines
Jerryme Corre
Amnesty International focuses on torture in the Philippines
By Rachelle Cruz
“They put cloth over my mouth and poured water down it. I felt like I was drowning – I could no longer breathe. Then they drenched my body with water and gave me electric shocks, over and over.”– Jerryme Corre, Torture Survivor
Jerryme Corre is 34-year-old jeepney driver in the Philippines. He is also a torture survivor. His life changed on January 10, 2012, when about 10 police officers came charging at him, and arrested him for stealing, drug use, and of killing a police officer. There was no trial. He is still in prison today.
The Philippines is one of the five countries to become the focus of Amnesty International’s Stop Torture Campaign. It recently published a report called “Above the Law: Police Torture in the Philippines. The report revealed a major new campaign to stop torture in the country.
To celebrate International Human Rights Day, a flashmob of Amnesty volunteers rallied at the intersection of Bathurst and Bloor on December 6. It was a call to action.
“Torture is still taking place, particularly in jails, in police custody. So that’s the focus of this campaign. And we believe that with proper oversight of prisoners, conditions of prisons, we can stop torture in prisons. And also proper oversight of the police and the complaints process, there are ways in which we can stop torture.” Gloria Nafziger, Refugee, Migrants and Country Campaigner said.
The Global Write for Rights event was in full swing. Christopher Sorio of Migrante Canada, a former political prisoner in the Philippines, explained why letter writing campaign is important.
“Kasi noong nakakulong ako, ang letter writing kept my morale So I also would like to tell people, that when they put their signature, it really matters. Coz I know a lot of people are wondering, what happens when I sign a letter? I read it. I read your letters my friends, and I want you to continue writing to be able to demand justice and respect for human rights.” Sorio said.
Christopher Sorio
Sorio was tortured and arrested April 21, 1981. He came to speak at the event, not only to show solidarity for Jerryme Corre, but also for those who are in the same plight,
“What is upsetting is that it continues.. . Despite the dismantling of dictatorship in the Philippines, torture continues, the arrests continues and why is that so? Because there is a culture of impunity– culture of impunity within the authorities, police and the military. They believe that they can get away with anything. And this is what we are trying to do. Is to put a stop to that,” he said.
So whether on the streets, or putting their signatures on paper, people are showing their support.
“Well human rights matter to me. I think it’s what makes this world a world worth living in,” Aubrey Harris, an Amnesty volunteer said.
“We are here to raise the profile, since it’s the International Human rights day today, we are here to raise the profile of those people,” Imtiaz Baloch added.
“It’s an opportunity for us to gather as a group, internationally, and put increased pressure on this one day, on governments around the world. Is there anything more fundamental than breathing and human rights?” Andy Mckim expressed.
Just recently, the Philippine Senate announced that they will begin to conduct investigation into two incidents related to police torture. The country’s Anti-torture Act was passed five years ago, and not a single official has been convicted.
To show your solidarity with Jerryme Corre, click here http://www.writeathon.ca/index.php/cases/philippines-jerryme-corre/
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