Tainted Peace: Torture In Sri Lanka Since May 2009
Prof. Charles Sarvan
Of the two terms which form the title of this August 2015 publication, the word “taint” etymologically comes from “to dye”. Among its current meanings one is, “a corrupt condition or infection”. Peace, the other term in the noun phrase, can be divided into two broad categories, negative and positive. Negative peace is merely the absence of overt war and can be an imposed, a Carthaginian, peace. Positive peace connotes harmony (the product of justice), safety and a degree of well-being. (The question prompts itself: Can a “peace” that is tainted be truly peace?
The style of ‘Tainted Peace’ is a contrast between content and manner. Based, the Report says, on evidence clinically established by medical doctors and psychiatrists; written by trained researchers, horrific material is presented dispassionately. Encountering dates and charts, percentages and statistics, it is almost as if one were reading the trading-report of a company. The style I think is deliberate, the intention being to be objective, and to allow the evidence to speak for itself. “In accordance with the Istanbul Protocol, Freedom from Torture routinely consider the issue of alternative causation of physical injury and psychological symptoms, including the possibility of fabrication of torture accounts and of injury through self-harm or by proxy” (p. 44). In simpler words, Freedom from Torture always thoroughly probes the possibility that injuries were not the result of the alleged torture or that they were caused by the victim herself / himself, with or without the help of someone else.
‘Tainted Peace: Torture in Sri Lanka since May 2009’. Publication of ‘Freedom from Torture’, Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, UK.
The organisation which produced this Report was established in 1985 and is “dedicated to the treatment and rehabilitation of torture survivors” – irrespective of the victims’ continent and country of origin. Their services include “psychological and physical therapies, forensic documentation of torture, legal and welfare advice, and creative projects”. Their “expert clinicians prepare medico-legal reports” and their ultimate aim is “a world free from torture” – even as, I suppose, the aim of Oxfam is the eradication of hunger worldwide. The goal may not be reached but the effort is worthy. After all, ideals are approximated to, and rarely realized. (Not surprisingly, Freedom from Torture is intensely disliked by “torturing states”, and their ardent and adamant supporters, and efforts are made to undermine its credibility.) I quote from Page 9: “This report is about torture practised by the military, police and intelligence services in Sri Lanka. It is based on a study conducted by Freedom from Torture of 148 Sri Lankan torture cases forensically documented by expert doctors in our Medico-Legal Report (MLR) Service, in accordance with the standards set out in the UN Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (known as the ‘Istanbul Protocol’).” Read More
