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Name: DJ<br />
Gender: Female<br />
Age: 23<br />
Date Detained: July 2008<br />
Date Released: July 2008<br />
Circumstances of detention:<br />
Around noon one day in July 2008, DJ was walking to her sewing class on <strong>the</strong> outskirts of Vavuniya<br />
town when she was approached by a group of uniformed and armed army and police personnel<br />
and two or three men in civilian clo<strong>the</strong>s. DJ told <strong>Human</strong> <strong>Rights</strong> <strong>Watch</strong> that army officials asked to<br />
see her ID card, which revealed her original residence was Mullaithivu. DJ said that <strong>the</strong> army officer<br />
told her that she would need to accompany <strong>the</strong>m for questioning.<br />
Account:<br />
I was pushed into an army vehicle and taken to Joseph Camp for interrogation. There were three<br />
officials in army uniform who told me I was with <strong>the</strong> LTTE and had come to spy in Vavuniya. I kept<br />
denying this, but <strong>the</strong>y kept insisting. I was pushed around, but not beaten. I was <strong>the</strong>n sent to a<br />
small, dark cell that had a squatting latrine in <strong>the</strong> corner. There was no water. The room was filled<br />
with insects and mosquitoes.<br />
On <strong>the</strong> second day, I was again questioned and beaten in <strong>the</strong> office. I lost consciousness due to<br />
<strong>the</strong> beating and was dragged back into my cell. The soldiers pushed some dry bread and dirty<br />
water through a low hatch in <strong>the</strong> door.<br />
On <strong>the</strong> third day, a uniformed soldier with a rifle came into <strong>the</strong> cell. He dragged me to a different<br />
room that had a table on <strong>the</strong> side and three chairs for <strong>the</strong> interrogators. There were pipes, metal<br />
rods, and some o<strong>the</strong>r instruments on <strong>the</strong> table. There were bloodstains and o<strong>the</strong>r stains on <strong>the</strong><br />
floor and on <strong>the</strong> walls of <strong>the</strong> room. Three men in uniform and one in civilian clo<strong>the</strong>s started<br />
questioning me. I kept denying any involvement with <strong>the</strong> LTTE. The men called two women in<br />
uniform and <strong>the</strong> women came and tied my arms to <strong>the</strong> bars of a small window that was quite<br />
high. I was facing <strong>the</strong> interrogators and my arms were tied, stretched over my head. The two<br />
uniformed women left <strong>the</strong> room.<br />
The uniformed men started questioning me again. The man in civilian clo<strong>the</strong>s kicked me on <strong>the</strong><br />
knees with his boots and I almost fainted with <strong>the</strong> pain. A military officer burned me with a<br />
cigarette on my arms while <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs questioned me. The armed military officer <strong>the</strong>n tore off <strong>the</strong><br />
front of my dress and started to fondle and grasp my breasts, and grab between my legs and<br />
“WE WILL TEACH YOU A LESSON” 124