DOJ wants copy of torture video

THE Department of Justice issued a subpoena to ABS-CBN, requiring the media entity to submit a certified video copy of its report on the alleged torture of an arrested robbery suspect.

In the video footage, the victim was lying on the floor naked while being whipped by his torturer. It also showed that he was in extreme pain with his tormentor pulling a yarn tied to his genitals.

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During the preliminary investigation, Senior State Prosecutor Philip Kimpo said the subpoena will be served immediately for the next hearing of the panel on September 16.

Kimpo granted the verbal motion of human rights lawyer Harry Roque to bring the original copy of the videotape to prove the authenticity of the video, which supposedly showed Darius Evangelista being tortured by Senior Inspector Joselito Binayug.

The prosecutor also required the respondents to submit their respective counter-affidavits in the next hearing.

Last August 23, charges for violation of Anti-Torture Act of 2009 were filed by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group against the group of Binayug and eight other policemen.

The complainants refrained from filing murder charges against respondents considering that they have yet to locate the body of the victim.

But Roque expressed confidence that even without the body, he would be able to prove that there was torture based on the video.

He also said that they saw no need to file a habeas corpus case since they believed that Evangelista’s body was disposed of by respondents after he was tortured.

“Tingin namin, patay na kaya naghahanap na nga ng corpus delicti (body of the crime). Dahil ongoing pa naman ito, wala pang murder kasi torture ang na-file,” he said.

The respondent policemen have already been put on preventive suspension and were subjected to neuro-psychiatric and drug tests at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City.(JCV/Sunnex)