The graphic video, which ABS-CBN television said it obtained from an unidentified informant, shows the officer in civilian clothes beating the man with what appears to be a stick.The detained man is believed to be a suspected thief from Manila's Tondo district. It's unclear when the video was taken or what happened to the man. More here: Outrage in Philippines over police torture video.
A rope appears to be tied to the victim's penis, which the torturer yanks in between blows to the body.
"This is very disturbing. They treated him worse than an animal," said Coco Quisumbing, chairwoman of the country's Commission on Human Rights, who has reviewed the clip.
"This is the very first time that this happened (actual torture caught on video) and it is groundbreaking.
"Police should now submit to our investigation in a timely manner," she said on ABS-CBN's radio affiliate.
The eleven members of the police station have been relieved, and its commander, Senior Inspector Joselito Binayug, is being investigated for criminal acts. Maximum penalty under an anti-torture law passed last year is 40 years in prison if the victim dies.
