Dear Friends
We are forwarding information from the Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples (ACPP) which is a human rights organization in Pakistan, which states that a 18-year-old young boy Sunil Samuel was sexually assaulted by inmates at Camp Jail Lahore. After lodging a complaint [to prison authorities], he was tortured to death by two prison officials on 19 August 2003. Your urgent action is requested to pressure the Pakistani government to conduct the impartial and immediate investigation into Sunil Samuel’s case and arrest the responsible persons to justice.
If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact ACPP.
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLING – PAKISTAN
17 September 2003
SUMMARY:
Christian youth Sunil Samuel, 18, was sexually assaulted by inmates at Camp Jail, Lahore. After lodging a complaint, he was tortured to death by two prison officials on 19 August 2003. He was in custody at the prison prior to trial in a robbery case that has been fabricated against him following an employment dispute.
Sunil Samuel had worked at an Internet Café in Mall Road, which is owned by Mr. Jute. When Sunil Samuel demanded his salary, Mr. Jute tried to delay payment and they made an intensive argument. After that, Mr. Jute, registered a false charge of robbery against Sunil Samuel and others with the assistance of sub-Inspector Ghulam Hussain from the Qilla Singh Police Station. The police arrested Sunil and tortured him in the presence of the complainant (Mr. Jute). Sunil was sent to Camp Jail Lahore on 9 August where he was held together with convicted criminals.
Inmates at Camp Jail Lahore report that Sunil was sodomized by three inmates named Mehboob, Naeem and Naseer. The prison authorities failed in their duty to protect this young man from sexual assault while he was in custody. Moreover, when Sunil made a complaint to the prison officials, the Deputy Superintendent Zia-ullah reportedly ordered to punish the victim together with the accused.
The prison staffs Iqbal and Abbas then tortured Sunil together with the three accused. Sunil begged to be spared because he was the victim but the officials blamed him of being a party to the crime of sodomy and demanded five thousand rupees as a bribe. When he refused to give a bribe, they continuously tortured him for two days resulting in his death on 19 August 2003. Allegedly, the dead body of Sunil was hanged by the neck from a ceiling fan by the jail officials in order to fabricate it as a suicide.
Inmates at the prison disclosed details of this serious case to the media through their relatives. The family of the victim claimed that an autopsy report noticed that torture and sodomy are causes of Sunil’s death. The victim’s family has made a complaint and go to court against the Prison Superintendent, Jail Warden and three prisoners Mehboob, Naseer and Naeem.
The Constitution of Pakistan expressly forbids torture and it states that “No one shall be subjected to torture for the purpose of extracting evidence (Article 14 (2))”. However, it has been very common that the police abuse their power involving in torture, arbitrary detention, rape and death in custody, and inhuman prison conditions.
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 in ‘encounters’ by law enforcement officials and more than 50 persons victimized to ‘target killings’. From 1 January to 31 July 2003 there have been 25 custodial deaths in Lahore District and suburbs. In particular, Christians are over-represented among the victims with approximately 13% of victims being Christian while Christians comprise only 2% of the population. For further information see Chapter 9 of the National Commission for Justice & Peace’s Human Rights Monitor 2002 – 2003.
ACTION REQUESTED
Please write letters expressing concern at the rising number of extra-judicial killings in Pakistan, and the over-representation of the victims. Please request that the relevant authorities:
– Conduct an impartial investigation into Sunil Samuel’s case, and all other cases of custodial deaths
– Arrest the culprits and bring them to justice
– Take measures to stop torture and extra-judicial killings
– Pressure the Pakistan government to sign, ratify and implement the Convention Against Torture (CAT)
Send a letter to:
His Excellency Pervaiz Musharaf
President of Pakistan
President House, Islamabad,
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9203938 or 9211018
Send copies to:
1. Faisal Saleh Hayat
Minister of the Interior
R- Block, Pak Secretariat, Islamabad,
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9202624
2. Lt General (R) Khalid Maqbool
Governor of Punjab
Governor’s House, Lahore,
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 9200025
3. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
Chief Minister of Punjab
Chief Ministers Secretariat,
90 Sharah-e-Quaid-eAzam, Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 9203254
4. Diplomatic Representatives of Pakistan government in your country.
SAMPLE LETTER:
(Please do not attach our organization’s name on the appeal letter to the Pakistan authorities but kindly send a copy of your letter to us separately for monitoring purpose.)
We are gravely concerned about the death 18-year-old Christian youth Sunil Samuel at Camp Jail Lahore on 19 August, 2003.
According to inmates at the prison, Sunil Samuel was sexually assaulted by three inmates named Mehboob, Naeem and Naseer at Camp Jail Lahore. Not only did the jail authorities fail in their duty to protect this young man from sexual assault while he is in custody, but when he lodged a complaint, two prison officials tortured him to death. He was hanged by the neck from a ceiling fan by the prison officials in order to fabricate it as a suicide case. According to the information, an autopsy report listed torture and sodomy as causes of his death. A case has been registered against the Prison Superintendent, Jail Warden and three prisoners Mehboob, Naseer and Naeem.
Death in custody of inmates while awaiting their trial has become a large pattern of extra-judicial killings. In addition, it appears that Christians are over-represented among the victims of such extra-judicial killings. Christians comprise only 2% of the population, but make up approximately 13% of the victims of extra-judicial killings in the Lahore area in this year to date. The low socio-economic status of minorities leaves them particularly vulnerable to be abused.
An impartial investigation into Sunil Samuel’s case, and all other cases of deaths in custody, is required in order to bring the perpetrators to justice. Even though torture for the purpose of extracting evidence is already banned by Article 14(2) of the Constitution, strong and urgent measures should be taken to eliminate torture and extra-judicial killings in Pakistan.
We respectfully urge the Pakistan government to sign and ratify the Convention Against Torture to eliminate torture and extra-judicial killings.
Yours sincerely,
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Sandie Cornish
Coordinator
Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples
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Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
