LAHORE: Three non-government organisations have issued statements demanding that torture be criminalised and due legislation be enacted.

June 26 marks the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 2020.

Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and AGHS referred to the recent cases where those in physical remand were manhandled to such an extent that some of them died. On June 23 in Peshawar, Rafiullah, alias Amir, was beaten, paraded naked and sexually harassed while in police custody.

The case exposes a little more of the police culture in the country that manifests itself in the form of unlawful detention, torture, and custodial death and rape, compounded by the lack of accountability.

Amir, of Tehkal, was arrested and assaulted for making the video mocking police officials that went viral online. In a similar incident earlier this month, a 14-year-old boy was picked by the police in Dera Ismail Khan and detained overnight for posting a cartoon he drew of a check post.

The cold blooded torture of a mentally disturbed Salahuddin Ayubi and of Amir Masih, the unlawful use of force followed by ‘ad hoc administrative actions to assuage public outcry’ have happened repeatedly, said the human rights defenders.

The HRCP stated that it had recorded 20 cases of custodial torture in 2019 and these were only those that caught media attention.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2020