PAKISTAN: A young man beaten to death by the Khosar police in Islamabad 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Peace Worldwide, a human rights organization in Islamabad, Pakistan regarding an extrajudicial killing of a young man by the Khosar police.

According to the information we have received, Mr. Amjad Masih (25), who was accused of the theft, was tortured to death by the Khosar police in front of his sister on around 22 October 2005. Four responsible officers were arrested with murder charges on October 23 after the outraged local villagers of the France Colony shouted for justice outside the Khosar Police Station. This is ¤± good development that the perpetrators were arrested, however the AHRC worries that they will escape from punishment in the end as happened in many previous cases in Pakistan.

It is also reported that the victim’s sister and her husband were arbitrarily arrested by the Khosar police without charges and illegally kept in the police custody for two days. During the police custody, the victim’s sister was allegedly molested and her husband was pressured to bribe Rs 70,000 (about USD 1,553) for their release. However, so far there has been no information forthcoming as to whether any action has been taken against the responsible officers regarding illegal arrest and requesting the bribes.

Under these circumstances, the AHRC urge your immediate intervention in this matter. Please urge the Pakistani authorities to investigate this case thoroughly and bring responsible officers before the court. Please also urge them to take action against the officer in charge of the Khosar Police Station who neglected command responsibility to supervise the lower-ranking officers.

Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the victim: Mr. Amjad Masih, 25 years old, resident of France Colony, Islamabad, Pakistan, Christian
Alleged perpetrators (all are attached to the Khosar Police Station):
1. Sub Inspector Tahseen Ahmed
2. Assistant Sub Inspector Shamas
3. Head Constable Zulfiqar
4. Police Constable Abdul Sattar
Date of the incident: around 22 October 2005
Place of the incident: Khosar Police Station in Islamabad

Amjad Masih is a 25-year old Christian young man and lives in France Colony, which is the Biggest Colony out of ten Christian colonies in Islamabad, Pakistan. He was accused of involving in a theft case which was registered at the Khosar Police Station on 18 October 2005 (Case No.: FIR No. 264). He was later turned over to the Khosar police investigation team by his father Bashir Masih.

Around October 22, Sub Inspector Tahseen Ahmed, Assistant Sub Inspector Shamas, Head Constable Zulfiqar and Constable Abdul Sattar brutally tortured Amjad. At that time, Amjad’s sister Nasreen was present at the police station. She said that the police assaulted her brother like an animal in front of her. When she requested them to stop assaulting her brother, Sub Inspector Tehseen kicked her and beat her with a wooden rod. Finally, Amjad fall unconscious due to brutal torture. The police took him to the hospital where he was declared dead.

Hearing of the custodial killing and illegal detention, residents of the France Colony burnt tyres outside the Khosar Police Station. Senior Superintendent of Police Sikander Hayat arrived at the scene and ordered the police to register a murder case against the four police officers under Section 302 of the Pakistan Panel Code. Consequently, at night of October 22, these four policemen were arrested with murder charges.

It is also reported that the victim’s sister Nasreen had been arbitrarily arrested by the Khosar together with her husband Markaz Masih on around October 20, even though they were not wanted in any case. They were allegedly treated badly by the police. Nasreen claimed that she had been kept in a male police lock-up for one day and then taken to a deserted house in an undisclosed location where she had been molested by the police officers. Her husband Markaz Masih also reported to a local media that the Khosar police requested Rs 70,000 (about USD 1,553) to release him and his wife. They were released soon after Amjad’s death.

While welcoming the arrest of the alleged perpetrators, the AHRC is gravely concerned that the perpetrators would escape from punishment and the case would be hush up in the end as being seen in many other cases in Pakistan. In particular, in many cases, the police have deliberately ignored to take serious action in cases where the Christian minority members are the victims.

The AHRC therefore strongly urges the Pakistan authorities to inquire into this case thoroughly and prosecute those responsible according to the law. The Officer in charge of the Khosar Police Station must also be charged for his omission to supervise the lower-ranking officers. Police torture and extra judicial killings should not be treated as isolated incidents caused only by a few lower-ranking officers, but as by-products of a system that deliberately neglects command responsibility.

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