Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Port Louis (Agenzia Fides) - "Together with the population I was horrified by the torture inflicted by members of the police on citizens who were in their custody. That is why it is essential that those guilty of this rampant violence are severely punished and cannot continue to do harm", said Cardinal Maurice Evenor Piat, Bishop of Port Louis, capital of Mauritius.
The Cardinal has expressed the consternation of citizens by the videos circulating on the Internet about the torture inflicted on some people by three policemen. The latter were identified by one of the victims of the torture and were arrested on May 30.
According to Cardinal Piat, if police officers, who are supposed to ensure the safety of citizens, indulge in these practices, they themselves become a source of social unrest: "This appalling violation of fundamental human rights by the police authorities, who are supposed to enforce the law, plunge the population into a feeling of insecurity". While acknowledging that "police forces also include people of integrity", Cardinal Piat argues that torture by police representatives not only damages the bodies of the victims, "but also damages the dignity of a person, of his family and, ultimately, the whole of society".
The Cardinal hopes that "the guilty will be severely punished and put in a position to do no more harm" while he asks the authorities "to rise up as a bulwark to defend the values of the rule of law". (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 2/6/2022)
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