Spain: Breaking the taboo on State violence

Who are the primary victims of torture and ill-treatment in Spain?

Spain doesn't have any official statistics on torture victims. The Prosecutor's Office only publishes global data on people convicted of different crimes, without distinction of the victims. Many victims are migrants—particularly those undocumented, activists of social movements or people who police have assaulted. Migrants, who are perceived as having more significant difficulties in filing complaints, and human rights defenders are more likely to be victims of discriminatory or intimidatory torture.

Why is it essential to provide them with comprehensive medical, psychological, and legal assistance?

Torture can cause severe physical harm, but it can also have intrinsically serious psychological repercussions. Torture also affects how you see yourself, the world and your beliefs. Torture can also impact your relationships, including with your family, how you relate to others, your work, your income and how you deal with the authorities, including the police. Comprehensive multidisciplinary assistance allows for therapeutic support, impact documentation, advice on reporting, and help to meet the person's needs at every process stage.

What is the benefit to organisations like Sir[a] of being a part of a global movement like the SOS Torture Network?

Networking allows us to connect with others and share experiences and resources. It also helps to create spaces for victims and to denounce torture, especially in contexts like ours, where it is considered taboo. It allows us to join forces to make the problem known.

How would more data revealing human rights violations enable victims to be better protected and receive justice?

Official silence on torture hinders not only the reparation of victims but also their rehabilitation. A commitment by the authorities to provide disaggregated and updated data would shed light on a systematically denied practice. In addition to raising public awareness and allowing a public debate to develop meaningful plans for the eradication of torture, reliable data would help us to prioritise our work. For example, we could identify clear patterns of action, places of particular risk, and the specific needs of different groups of people.

What recommendations would you make to improve the prevention of acts of torture in Spain?

Spain could use more judiciary training, more precise guidelines for prosecution by the Public Prosecutor's Office, a genuinely independent mechanism to monitor police conduct, supervision and access to detention facilities, transparency of data, and mechanisms for civil society participation and access to decision-making processes. We would strengthen the global movement that relentlessly fights against darkness by reinforcing our system. We are grateful for what we have learned and will do all we can to help it grow and strengthen.