Download the full report - Human Rights Watch
Download the full report - Human Rights Watch
Download the full report - Human Rights Watch
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Name: QF<br />
Gender: Male<br />
Age: 25<br />
Date Detained: February 2008<br />
Date Released: March 2008<br />
Circumstances of detention: In February 2008, a group of five military personnel came to QF’s home in<br />
Colombo. QF told <strong>Human</strong> <strong>Rights</strong> <strong>Watch</strong> that two of <strong>the</strong>m forcibly entered his house and started<br />
questioning his fa<strong>the</strong>r. QF said that he came out of his room and introduced himself. He was<br />
immediately detained.<br />
Account:<br />
The officials grabbed and handcuffed me. They told my fa<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>y were taking me for questioning and<br />
took me to Wellawatte police station. In <strong>the</strong> police station, <strong>the</strong>y started questioning and beating me.<br />
They pushed me into a cell. I was not given any food or drink that night. The next day, I was blindfolded,<br />
my hands were tied, and I was taken to ano<strong>the</strong>r place in a van. I was pushed into a room and my<br />
blindfold was taken off. The room was small, dark, and dirty.<br />
I was stripped and left in my underwear. I was taken to ano<strong>the</strong>r room where <strong>the</strong> officials in civilian clo<strong>the</strong>s<br />
started questioning me. They accused me of helping <strong>the</strong> LTTE. They showed photographs and asked me to<br />
identify people. They made me bend over <strong>the</strong> table and <strong>the</strong>n hit me with a hot, metal rod. They burned me with<br />
cigarettes and beat me with a sand-filled plastic pipe. They punched me and kicked me with <strong>the</strong>ir boots. They<br />
forced a petrol-infused plastic bag on my head and tried to asphyxiate me till I fainted.<br />
They covered my penis with something like Vicks. 175 They would grope my genitals during questioning.<br />
One official tried to make me have oral sex with him. O<strong>the</strong>r men sexually abused me around three times.<br />
They wore civilian clo<strong>the</strong>s and did not speak Tamil. 176<br />
QF’s medico legal <strong>report</strong>, on file with <strong>Human</strong> <strong>Rights</strong> <strong>Watch</strong>, confirms his account of ill treatment and Sri<br />
Lanka.<br />
QF told <strong>Human</strong> <strong>Rights</strong> <strong>Watch</strong> he was fingerprinted and photographed and made to sign a confession<br />
statement in Sinhala. He was blindfolded and taken to different places in a van where he was asked<br />
to identify people involved with <strong>the</strong> LTTE. He was released in March 2008 after his family bribed <strong>the</strong><br />
authorities.<br />
175 A mentholated, topical cream used on nose and chest for providing relief in a common cold.<br />
176 <strong>Human</strong> <strong>Rights</strong> <strong>Watch</strong> interview with KF, January 10, 2011. Medical records were not available in this case.<br />
131 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | FEBRUARY 2013