Torture report puts police in the spotlight
By Rula Aweidah
THE COUNCIL of Europe has warned Cyprus it needs to do more to stamp out ill-treatment of detainees in police custody after a visit by a special committee on torture received many “complaints of ill-treatment” in police custody, some of which “was of such a severity that it could be considered as amounting to torture”.
The visit by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) took place in December 2004, and its report was approved by the Council of Europe in July 2005. It was released today, after the Cyprus government finally gave its green light for the findings to be published.
Publication of the report is always at the request of the country involved, and usually comes before the next review, scheduled every four years.
In its response to the report, dated April 2006, the government says many of the recommendations have been, or are in the process of being, adopted.
The report devoted much of its attention to conditions in police custody, saying the CPT delegation had received many complaints of ill-treatment
“The forms of ill-treatment alleged consisted in the main of slaps, kicks and punches to the head and body, including the genitals, with the detained person sometimes undressed and/or handcuffed. Allegations of ill-treatment also included the banging of heads on a desk, blows with batons or other objects and violence of a sexual nature.
“In a few cases, the ill-treatment alleged was of such a severity that it could be considered as amounting to torture.”
The report added: “The risk of ill-treatment appeared to be particularly high in respect of foreign nationals, the conditions under which many of them were being detained were entirely unacceptable and could, in some cases, be regarded as inhuman and degrading.”
The report highlighted the case of one foreign detainee, who claimed that during an interview at the Central Prison, he had been severely ill-treated. “The first alleged incident consisted of punches and kicks to the face, chest and abdomen. The detainee further alleged that, during the night, he had been made to undress and had, while in a standing position, been hooded and shackled by the wrists and ankles to bars in the police prison, whereupon police officers had hit him violently on various parts of the body, including his genitals.”
Tuesday, April 2008.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=38718
The whiter than white so-called "RoC".
