FOREWORD: Torture is one of the most horrific crimes that can be perpetrated against a human being. It aims to dehumanise through calculated acts of cruelty to remove victims’ dignity and make them powerless. It tears at the soul of our human community and lessens us all when it occurs.

Prohibited in the strongest terms by international law, even in times of war or an emergency, it is illegal in most countries. Yet it is still highly prevalent, not only in the most repressive regimes. Between January 2009 and May 2013, Amnesty International received reports of torture and other ill-treatment committed by state officials in 141 countries, and from every world region.

Justice demands that torture ends and that impunity for perpetrators is eradicated. Justice requires that torture survivors around the world receive the acknowledgment and remedies they deserve to move their lives forward with dignity. While these rights are widely enshrined in law, there are numerous practical difficulties in obtaining justice.
The media can play a vital role to sensitise the public on issues of torture, a crime that thrives in a situation of silence and behind the scenes. Through accurate reporting, journalists can increase awareness about the prevalence of torture, who is being targeted and why and who is carrying out the torture. Journalists can also provide important insights into the impact of torture on the survivors and their communities and the many challenges that may be preventing survivors from achieving justice. More awareness about torture will help to promote dialogue on why it is happening and how it can be eradicated.

But many torture cases go unreported in the media. This is because survivors often don’t come forward. There is still a great deal of shame associated with torture – survivors sometimes feel ashamed about how they reacted to the torture or afraid to reveal particularly degrading forms of torture that were perpetrated against them. Survivors know that parts of society will think that they must have done something wrong to have been subjected to torture, even when they were targeted for reasons that were completely illegal or irrelevant or they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Survivors can also be afraid that they or their families will face repercussions if they speak about the torture.

Governments to are silent about torture practices, even in countries where torture is commonplace. Thus, information about torture tends to be hidden under the surface.
Journalists have an important role to play in breaking the silence and raising awareness. But, it will take careful sleuthing for them to uncover what is happening, to be able to interpret pieces of evidence and to report on it in an accurate way.

This handbook provides practical guidance to support journalists to report on torture. It addresses key questions relating to the definition of torture when it happens, why it happens and what are the consequences. It also provides guidance on how to interview and interact with torture survivors in an appropriate way.

The information that follows is based on more than two decades of experience of five human rights organisations working to address the scourge of torture in a range of countries around the world and in a variety of different contexts. The information stems from the organisations’ experience of interviewing and assisting thousands of torture survivors, and their work in the areas of litigation, rehabilitation, advocacy and training. It also stems from the typical questions asked by journalists when covering a torture story. We have tried to give answers in a simplistic but full way, to the typical questions that journalists tend to ask us.

The authors of this guide encourage its use to support interviews, research and reporting that is effective but at the same time ethical and sensitive, with the wellbeing of torture survivors taking foremost priority. It is hoped that through increased reporting on this grave international crime, there will be greater public understanding of the seriousness of torture and its impact on survivors. It is also hoped that increased reporting will generate more public resolve to eradicate torture in all its forms, no matter where it happens…