Double torture

At the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Anna Ravarat read at Amnesty International’s event involving the writings of clients of the charity Freedom from Torture. The author, who gave her time to read a piece by a torture survivor, was reduced to tears as she relayed the writer’s despair, fear and isolation.

This difficult situation, faced by many torture survivors, is a secondary torture.

Such unfortunate people are already dealing with the psychological and physical trauma of their torture in a new, strange environment and are faced with battling through an asylum process to avoid being sent back to the country they fled and the prospect of further torture.

This lengthy process hinders rehabilitation as the uncertainty of such an invidious position creates very significant stress. It results in many cases only being won in courts of appeal after a considerable time. This timescale produces uncertainty with the fear of deportation and thus secondary torture. Highlighting this may be the proudest legacy of the book festival.

ANC Watson

Morningside Place

Edinburgh