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Stop Torture - Alfreda Disbarro

Alfreda Disbarro
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November 2014 update: You can now sign an online petition asking for justice for Alfreda here:

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/philippines-justice-alfreda-tortured…

 

As part of Amnesty International's Stop Torture campaign, which the Bloxham Group have signed up to, real cases are promoted with the aim of helping the individual.

The first real case is that of Alfreda Disbarro.

On 3 October 2013, Alfreda Disbarro was at an internet cafe near her house in Parañaque, Manila, when police officers approached her and accused her of being a drug dealer. She denied the allegation and to prove she was not carrying drugs, emptied her pockets, which contained a mobile phone and a five-peso coin. Without warning the officers pointed a gun at her and punched her in the chest.

Alfreda, a 32-year-old mother of two, was taken to the police headquarters where she says police officers pinned her against a wall, repeatedly punched her in the face and stomach, hit her with a club, poked their fingers in her eyes, slapped her, forced a mop into her mouth, and banged her head against a wall. Then they beat her with a wooden stick and a metal bar.

Over the following days Alfreda was in such pain that she couldn’t eat, had difficulty breathing and kept vomiting. During this period she was photographed with three $100 bills and a sachet of drugs, and told to sign a blank sheet of paper.

After making a complaint to the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, Alfreda underwent a medical examination on 10 October 2013. The doctor found numerous bruises and marks on her body and concluded that they were caused by a hard, blunt object.

Take Action

Amnesty International are asking people to write to the Internal Affairs Service of the Philippine police to respond to international pressure to investigate the torture and other ill-treatment suffered by Alfreda Disbarro.

The address to write to is:

Inspector General

Internal Affairs Service

Philippine National Police Compound

Camp General Crame

Quezon City

Metro Manila

Philippines 1100

You can find an example of a letter to write in the attached case sheet as well as information on writing a letter of solidarity to Alfreda Disbarro.

There is also further information on the Philippines in the attached Country Briefing document.

Downloads
Stop Torture case sheet Alfreda Disbarro
Stop Torture Country Briefing Philippines
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