UPDATE (Pakistan): Human rights lawyer in serious condition after he was brutally tortured by the police

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed of the serious medical condition of a prominent human rights lawyer, Mr. Syed Hassan Tariq. He was brutally tortured by the police upon instructions allegedly by the provincial chief minister in Nawabshah, Sindh Province after he was arrested on 8 November 2007. Mr. Tariq is one of the thousands of lawyers arrested and detained following the imposition of the state of emergency. He suffered internal bleeding to his lungs and his two ribs were fractured. He also had huge torture marks on his back. His physician said that his condition was so severe that he may have less chances of surviving.

UPDATED INFORMATION:

On 8 November 2007, Mr. Syed Hassan Tariq, a prominent human rights lawyer and member of executive committee of district bar association in Nawabshah, Sindh Province, was arrested by the police during a demonstration against the state of emergency. He was one of protestors against the arrest of lawyers and placing of Supreme Court justices, including Chief Justice Iftekhar Choudhry, and justices of district high courts under house arrest. The police took him to an unknown place following his arrest where he was kept overnight.

It was Police officer Mr. Ghulam Nabi Kharal, Station House Officer (SHO) of A Section police station in Nawabshah, who had severely tortured him overnight. While torturing him, he had ridiculed him that he should seek help from Chief Justice Choudhry. The SHO pressured him that he should chant slogans in favour of General Musharraf and his government, but Mr. Tariq refused to obey his demands. The police officers had allegedly been instructed by Dr. Arbab Rahim, provincial chief minister of Sindh, to torture Mr. Tariq.

The following day, Mr. Tariq was taken to the A Section police station from the unknown place where the police brutally tortured him. At that time, his injuries were already serious but no one knew about his condition inside the police custody. Mr. Tariq was detained at the said police station until November 12.

On November 12, Mr. Tariq was taken to the National Medical College and Hospital in Nawabshah. When the physicians examined him he was diagnosed to have internal bleeding to his lungs, his two ribs were fractured and had huge torture marks to his back. The physicians immediately had him admitted in their hospital for treatment but the police, including Police officer Mr. Kharal, instead refused pressuring them that he should not be admitted. At the time, the physicians had no idea who the victim was.

The physicians who examined Mr. Tariq nevertheless refused to turn him over back to the policemen. After the police realised how serious Mr. Tariq’s medical condition was, they went away and abandoned him at the hospital.

The hospital authorities then informed the journalists that man in serious condition had been taken to their hospital by the police. When the journalists came, only then they have been to recognize that it was Mr. Tariq, a prominent human rights lawyer in the area. The news over his arrest and subsequent brutal torture spread all over the city. After the people learn about the incident they came out and held demonstrations against the police.

When Mr. Tariq gained consciousness, he told some journalist interviewing him that he was repeatedly severely beaten with hard object. They also punched and kicked him in different parts of his body. He also said that the police tied and hoisted him up and down. He told his family about how he was ridiculed by the police while they were torturing him telling him that he should seek help from the Chief Justice Choudhry.

Instead of taking action into the victim’s serious allegation, Mr. Ghulam Sarwer Jamali, the district police officer (DPO), defended his police officers. He denied that neither his policemen tortured Mr. Tariq nor they had any thing to do with his arrest. Mr. Jamali is the most senior police officer in the said district. The medical findings however showed that the victim’s injuries were caused by beatings and torture. The physician would be performing medical operations to remove the blood clot in his lungs but they fear he may have less chance of surviving.

Mr. Syed Tariq had been deeply involved in helping victims of custodial torture, human rights violations and honor killings. He was also an activist for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, whose head Ms. Asma Jehangir is also presently placed under house arrest. The district police are said to be very critical of him because of the nature of his work and the nature of cases he was handling.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

In our previous appeal UG-008-2007, we mentioned that 3,500 lawyers have already been arrested all over the country. Forty-six court justices, including Chief Justice Choudhry, remains under house arrest. The lawyers are arrested for demonstrating against the imposition of the emergency. The justices, on the other hand, are pressured to pledge allegiance with military president Pervez Musharraf by signing the Provincial Constitution Order (PCO) he had proposed otherwise remains under house arrest.

Some of the justices have signed while the others remained defiant. The latter are those being systematically denied of their fundamental rights. Some of them are not even allowed to purchase medicines for their regular medications, seek treatment for their sick children and were prevented from doing their routine exercise for their illnesses.

Also, although thousands of lawyers have already been arrested, information regarding the present condition of each lawyer could hardly be obtained. And even those lawyers whose places of detention are ascertained, their relatives are not allowed visits; thereby making it impossible to ensure they are properly treated inside the jails. The arrested lawyers, some of them are undergoing regular medications, were also either prevented from taking their medicines or they are not given any medicines at all. They too were systematically deprived of any due process and legal representation since their arrest.

The case of Mr. Tariq illustrates the greats risk the other lawyers and other persons whom the security forces have arrested and detained in connection with the emergency rule. Given the Pakistani police and military’s records of systematic and routine use of torture, this present condition aggravates the lack of remedies for victims of torture and those who are facing serious risks of torture in custody of the security forces.

Please also see previous appeals and statements regarding the current situation in Pakistan:

AL-035-2007: PAKISTAN: Canadian, Dutch and Hong Kong lawyers call for release of Pakistan lawyers and return to rule of law

AHRC-PL-049-2007: PAKISTAN: Sex videos reveal Musharraf “will stoop to any low”

UP-150-2007: PAKISTAN: Prominent lawyer disappears; eight others charged with high treason, tortured in detention

UP-149-2007: PAKISTAN: New ordinances deprive press freedom; journalists systematically attacked

UG-008-2007: PAKISTAN: State sanctioned attack on justices, lawyers and activists challenging the emergency

AS-263-2007: PAKISTAN: EMERGENCY – Election announcement nothing more than a vague diversionary tactic

AS-261-2007: PAKISTAN: EMERGENCY – Purpose of courts is to scrutinise other parts of government, not serve as rubber stamps for petty dictators

AS-259-2007: PAKISTAN: EMERGENCY – “Arrest” without criminal procedure and functioning courts is abduction

For the latest news on Pakistan, please visit http://pakistan.ahrchk.net.

SUGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the authorities concerned below urging them to intervene into Mr. Syed Hassan Tariq’s case. Those involved in arresting and torturing him must be held to account. The condition of other lawyers and persons arrested under emergency rule presently in detention should be ascertained and accounted for. To ensure the welfare of these persons it is necessary by ascertaining their condition to prevent them from becoming torture victim.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER