The United Nations says torture is still widespread in Afghanistan’s prisons, a year after the U.N. first documented abuse and the Karzai government promised to reform its detention practices. A report issued Sunday by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan found “credible and reliable evidence” that more than half of the 635 “conflict-related detainees” interviewed […]
UN Report Finds Torture of Afghan Detainees
UN Slams Russia on Torture
The U.N. Committee Against Torture has strongly criticized Russia for failing to investigate widespread allegations of torture and intimidation, and reprisals against human rights activists and journalists. In a report presented Friday at the committee’s 49th session in Geneva, a panel of 10 independent experts said they are seeing very few effective investigations that lead […]
Rights Group Alleges More Waterboarding By US
A human rights group says it has uncovered new evidence that U.S. personnel used torture, including waterboarding, while interrogating Libyan Islamists during the Bush administration. The report released Thursday by the New York-based Human Rights Watch features interviews with 14 Libyan dissidents captured and detained in foreign countries, including Afghanistan. Human Rights Watch says the […]
Rights Group Alleges More Waterboarding By US
A human rights group says it has uncovered new evidence that U.S. personnel used torture, including waterboarding, while interrogating Libyan Islamists during the Bush administration. The report released Thursday by New York-based Human Rights Watch features interviews with 14 Libyan dissidents captured and detained in foreign countries, including Afghanistan. Human Rights Watch says the Islamists […]
HRW Accuses Egypt’s Military of Torture
An international human rights group has accused Egypt’s military of beating and torturing protesters arrested during a huge rally near the Defense Ministry in Cairo earlier this month. The New York-based Human Rights Watch said Saturday soldiers fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of demonstrators demanding an immediate end to military rule and […]
In-laws of Tortured Afghan Girl Get Prison Terms
Three in-laws of an Afghan girl who was locked up and brutally tortured have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison for abusing her. A family court in Kabul sentenced the father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law of Sahar Gul on Tuesday. Gul’s husband remains at large and the court said he must also be brought […]
In-laws of Tortured Afghan Girl Get Prison Terms
Three in-laws of an Afghan girl who was locked up and brutally tortured have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison for abusing her. A family court in Kabul sentenced the father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law of Sahar Gul on Tuesday. Gul’s husband remains at large and the court said he must also be brought […]
Rights Group Accuses Syria of Torturing Children
A U.S.-based rights group says it has evidence that Syrian forces have captured children as young as age 13 and tortured them during questioning. Human Rights Watch said Friday in a report that it has documented 12 cases of children being tortured in detention centers. It said many more children may have been treated the […]
British Spies Will Not Face Torture Charges
Agents working for Britain’s spy agencies will not face criminal charges in connection with their alleged complicity in the mistreatment of foreign detainees. Police and Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service say there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against the agents who were working for the spy agencies MI5 and MI6. However, they say further investigation […]
Tortured Afghan Girl Wants In-Laws Jailed
A 15-year-old Afghan girl who was brutally tortured, allegedly at the hands of her in-laws, wants them jailed for their crimes. Sahar Gul spoke to a reporter from her hospital bed Saturday, saying her husband, sister-in-law and father-in-law needed to be put in prison. She accused them of giving her electric shocks and beating her […]