Inquest a painful mirror

THE GRIM revelations emerging from the new Ahmed Timol inquest are a painful and sorrowful mirror into our hideous and sordid past. Using torture as a political weapon is an affront to any civilisation.

The International Committee of The Red Cross defines torture as an existence of a specific purpose plus infliction of severe pain or suffering, cruel or inhuman treatment for no specific purpose.

What brand of brutal inhumanity could ever possess the killers of Ahmed Timol and 100 other cadres so deeply that they could murder so many human beings without any compunction? They were a special brand of beasts programmed and trained to obliterate any form of dissent.We must loudly proclaim “never again”.

Our hard-won democracy must never ever allow torture as a political weapon. No fewer than 100 cadres were murdered by the apartheid security establishment.

Never were the people of our land so united, so brave, so strong, so worthy of freedom, so certain of freedom that they poured out their treasured lives in helping us attain freedom and liberty. They unshackled our chains and rescued us from bondage.

We must remain vigilant to retain our rights and our freedom. They are truly priceless. Our freedom was not free and is not free.Thousands of brave souls gave their lives in the struggle against apartheid, which was a crime against humanity.

Our freedom is the result of a long and hard struggle by martyrs. Liberty has her martyrs now, and with her martyrs liberty is safe. Although we shall never ever bow before the shrine of intolerance, we will forgive our enemies, but we will never forget their names.

We shall never again lack loyalty, never again think lightly of our sacred freedom. Never again will we yield our rights to despots. Never again will we allow racism to take control of our destiny.

Eternal vigilance is the price of safeguarding our freedom. Benoni