Pakistan
22.09.03
Urgent Interventions
Pakistan: torture and death in detention of 18-year-old Samuel Sunil
Case PAK 220903
Torture / Death in detention / Extrajudicial killing
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Pakistan.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Asian Human Rights Commission and the Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples, both members of the OMCT network, of the torture and subsequent death in detention of 18 year old Samuel Sunil in Pakistan.
According to the information received, on August 9th, 18-year-old Samuel Sunil, who is a member of the Christian minority in Pakistan, was arrested by police officers from the Qilla Singh Police Station, having been falsely accused of robbery by his employer as a result of a dispute. Samuel Sunil worked for Mr. Jute at an Internet café on Mall Rd. When Samuel Sunil demanded his salary, his employer tried to delay payment leading to an argument between them. Mr. Jute then registered a fabricated charge of robbery against him. Sub-Inspector Ghulam Hussain from the Qilla Singh Police Station and other officers arrested Samuel Sunil and allegedly tortured him in front of Mr. Jute. The victim was sent that day to Camp Jail Lahore where he was detained with convicted criminals.
Inmates at Camp Jail Lahore report that Samuel Sunil was sodomized by three inmates named Mehboob, Naeem, and Naseer. The prison authorities failed in their duties to protect this young detainee from sexual assault while he was in custody. Moreover, when the victim made a complaint about the assault to the prison officials, the Deputy Superintendent Zia-ullah reportedly ordered Samuel Sunil to be punished along with his assailants, as he was viewed as being party to the crime of sodomy.
Prison staff members Iqbal and Abbas then tortured Samuel Sunil along with the three accused. Samuel Sunil begged to be spared, but the officials demanded five thousand rupees as a bribe. When Samuel Sunil refused to give them the bribe money, they continued to torture him for two days, resulting in his death on August 19th 2003. Jail officials reportedly hung his body by the neck from a ceiling fan in order to make his death appear to have been a suicide.
The family of the victim claim that an autopsy report noted that torture and sodomy are the causes of Samuel Sunil's death. The victim's family have registered a case against the Prison Superintendent, Jail Warden, and the three prisoners Mehboob, Naseer, and Naeem.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, extra-judicial killings have increased compared to previous years. During 2002, at least 236 people were killed "encounters" by law enforcement officials and more than 50 people were victims of "targeted killings." This year, from January 1st to July 31st there have been 25 custodial deaths in the Lahore District and suburbs. Christians are over-represented among the victims with approximately 13% of victims being Christian while Christians compose only 2% of the population.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned by arbitrary detention and torture to which Samuel Sunil has been subjected, which allegedly led to his death on August 19th, 2003. OMCT calls upon the Pakistani authorities to launch an immediate and impartial investigation into the circumstances of these events, notably the allegations of torture and resulting death of Samuel Sunil, in order to find those responsible, bring them to justice and award appropriate reparation to the victim’s family. OMCT notes with concern the rising numbers of extra-judicial killings in Pakistan and the common abuses of police power including torture, arbitrary detention, and rape and death in custody, combined with the apparent near-total impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of these acts.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Pakistan urging them to:
i. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of these events, notably the allegations of torture and resulting death of Samuel Sunil, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
ii. guarantee that adequate reparation is provided to Samuel Sunil’s family;
iii. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
· President, Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan, Fax: +92 51 922 4768, E-mail: CE@pak.gov.pk
· Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mian Khursheed Mahmud Kasuri, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Constitution Avenue, Islamabad, Pakistan, Fax: +92 51 920 2518/922 4205/4206, E-mail: pak.fm@usa.net
· Minister for the Interior, Faisal Saleh Hayat, Ministry of Interior, Block R, Federal Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan, Fax: +92 51 9202624, E-mail: minister@interior.gov.pk
· Ambassadeur Umer Shaukat, Rue de Moillebeau 56 (4ème) - CP 434, CH-1211, Genève 19, Suisse, E-mail: mission.pakistan@ties.itu.int, Fax: +41 22 734 80 85
Please also write to the embassies of Pakistan in your respective country.
Geneva, September 22nd, 2003
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Torture / Death in detention / Extrajudicial killing
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Pakistan.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Asian Human Rights Commission and the Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples, both members of the OMCT network, of the torture and subsequent death in detention of 18 year old Samuel Sunil in Pakistan.
According to the information received, on August 9th, 18-year-old Samuel Sunil, who is a member of the Christian minority in Pakistan, was arrested by police officers from the Qilla Singh Police Station, having been falsely accused of robbery by his employer as a result of a dispute. Samuel Sunil worked for Mr. Jute at an Internet café on Mall Rd. When Samuel Sunil demanded his salary, his employer tried to delay payment leading to an argument between them. Mr. Jute then registered a fabricated charge of robbery against him. Sub-Inspector Ghulam Hussain from the Qilla Singh Police Station and other officers arrested Samuel Sunil and allegedly tortured him in front of Mr. Jute. The victim was sent that day to Camp Jail Lahore where he was detained with convicted criminals.
Inmates at Camp Jail Lahore report that Samuel Sunil was sodomized by three inmates named Mehboob, Naeem, and Naseer. The prison authorities failed in their duties to protect this young detainee from sexual assault while he was in custody. Moreover, when the victim made a complaint about the assault to the prison officials, the Deputy Superintendent Zia-ullah reportedly ordered Samuel Sunil to be punished along with his assailants, as he was viewed as being party to the crime of sodomy.
Prison staff members Iqbal and Abbas then tortured Samuel Sunil along with the three accused. Samuel Sunil begged to be spared, but the officials demanded five thousand rupees as a bribe. When Samuel Sunil refused to give them the bribe money, they continued to torture him for two days, resulting in his death on August 19th 2003. Jail officials reportedly hung his body by the neck from a ceiling fan in order to make his death appear to have been a suicide.
The family of the victim claim that an autopsy report noted that torture and sodomy are the causes of Samuel Sunil's death. The victim's family have registered a case against the Prison Superintendent, Jail Warden, and the three prisoners Mehboob, Naseer, and Naeem.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, extra-judicial killings have increased compared to previous years. During 2002, at least 236 people were killed "encounters" by law enforcement officials and more than 50 people were victims of "targeted killings." This year, from January 1st to July 31st there have been 25 custodial deaths in the Lahore District and suburbs. Christians are over-represented among the victims with approximately 13% of victims being Christian while Christians compose only 2% of the population.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned by arbitrary detention and torture to which Samuel Sunil has been subjected, which allegedly led to his death on August 19th, 2003. OMCT calls upon the Pakistani authorities to launch an immediate and impartial investigation into the circumstances of these events, notably the allegations of torture and resulting death of Samuel Sunil, in order to find those responsible, bring them to justice and award appropriate reparation to the victim’s family. OMCT notes with concern the rising numbers of extra-judicial killings in Pakistan and the common abuses of police power including torture, arbitrary detention, and rape and death in custody, combined with the apparent near-total impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of these acts.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Pakistan urging them to:
i. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of these events, notably the allegations of torture and resulting death of Samuel Sunil, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
ii. guarantee that adequate reparation is provided to Samuel Sunil’s family;
iii. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
· President, Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan, Fax: +92 51 922 4768, E-mail: CE@pak.gov.pk
· Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mian Khursheed Mahmud Kasuri, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Constitution Avenue, Islamabad, Pakistan, Fax: +92 51 920 2518/922 4205/4206, E-mail: pak.fm@usa.net
· Minister for the Interior, Faisal Saleh Hayat, Ministry of Interior, Block R, Federal Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan, Fax: +92 51 9202624, E-mail: minister@interior.gov.pk
· Ambassadeur Umer Shaukat, Rue de Moillebeau 56 (4ème) - CP 434, CH-1211, Genève 19, Suisse, E-mail: mission.pakistan@ties.itu.int, Fax: +41 22 734 80 85
Please also write to the embassies of Pakistan in your respective country.
Geneva, September 22nd, 2003
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.