| Stop the torture in Pakistan's prisons | Owen Watkins The case of Naheem Hussain and Rehan Zaman, subjected to horrific abuse in a Pakistani prison, is far from uniqueThrough its work defending British Pakistanis facing the death penalty in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, Reprieve has become increasingly alarmed and shocked at the frequency of stories of abuse at the hands of Pakistan's police. There is no more perfect example than that of the case of British Pakistanis Naheem Hussain and Rehan Zaman, who, after more than five years in prison without trial, have suffered excruciating torture in Dadyal police station and Mirpur prison and are currently facing execution. Their case is based on an extremely weak complaint to the police (known as a First Instance Report or FIR) and confessions beaten out of both men.Torture techniques inflicted on victims such as Naheem and Rehan include falaka (foot whipping with a rod or cane), the pulling out of fingernails with pliers, the rubbing of hot chillies in eyes, endless beatings with sticks, and an excruciating practice called strapado, where the victim is hung by the wrists from the ceiling until the shoulders dislocate. The abuse is often so severe that police tire in their duties of kicking and beating detainees and are rotated, allowing them to recoup their lost strength. Each policeman comes armed with sticks, broom handles or bamboo canes.Unfortunately, most instances of torture are not reported. Police abuse appears to be so common in Pakistan that it has been accepted as the norm, even though Pakistan has formally pledged to end these practices by signing the UN Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Save for the occasional news story, many people outside the British Pakistani community show little interest in these issues. Some people with closer connections to Pakistan may feel resigned to the fact that it has been like this for years and is unlikely to change any time soon. However, it does not have to be like this.Reprieve has recently launched the Pakistan Police Torture Project, based in Birmingham, which aims to eradicate the systemic use of torture in police detention in Pakistan. To do this we need to identify and speak to as many victims of Pakistani police abuse as we can. We will use these first-hand accounts, with expert medical support where possible, to challenge these practices. Reprieve hopes to use the evidence gathered from victims in three ways: to assist, prevent and reform. The information we collect is used to assist those currently detained in Pakistan as a result of confessions extracted through torture, to prevent detention and further mistreatment of others following such confessions, and to reform the police officers who are responsible for such abuse through public, political and legal intervention.The more people that come forward, the bigger the case Reprieve can build against the Pakistan police and the more pressure we can place on Pakistan to release individuals detained as a result of false FIRs and confessions extracted through torture. It is Reprieve's hope that a major exposé of police torture could turn the tide in the battle against this medieval practice.• If you would like to learn more about Reprieve's work, please visit www.reprieve.org.ukPakistanTortureHuman rightsOwen Watkinsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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