Torture: Mother of All Human Rights Violations

This book captures the discussion of the second seminar on ways to promote the Convention against Torture (CAT) in Asia that was organised by the Religious Perspectives on Human Rights Programme of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) that was held in November 2000 in Bangkok, Thailand. The title of the book underlines the perception in the publication that torture and degrading treatment or punishment is a precursor of all other forms of human rights abuse. Torture is also a topic that few community and religious leaders have addressed. Included in the contents are an overview of the historical and cultural sources of torture today and reports about the use of torture in Burma, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and south Korea. The book states that torture is a weapon used by elites with impunity against others who lack their power and wealth. In short, the book makes the point that torture is a widespread phenomenon in Asia today that largely exists because of the toleration of those in Asia¡¦s legal and judicial systems as this quote makes clear:

"Though States and security systems ostensibly have been created to ensure the safety of all, in actual fact people have been driven to defend themselves against these same systems and their personnel. . . . [W]e have reached a point where we have to defend ourselves from police forces that are supposed to protect us."

Copies of this publication can be ordered by contacting AHRC.

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