Web Desk (LTN NEWS): Human Rights Watch (HRW) asked Pakistan on Wednesday to make torture a crime and called for an immediate, independent, and open investigation into the torture claims made by PTI leader Shahbaz Gill. A rights group tells Pakistan that it needs to pass a law making torture illegal.
The global rights group talked about the PTI’s claims that Imran Khan’s chief of staff was tortured to get him to say bad things about the party chairman.
But the police have said that the charges are not true. Gill was arrested on August 9 after he was charged with sedition for trying to get the Pakistan Army to rebel.
In a statement released today, HRW called for a quick, independent, and open investigation into the PTI leadership’s claims of torture.
It said that Pakistan’s Senate needed to pass a bill right away that would make torture a crime. On August 1, 2022, the National Assembly did pass this bill.
The Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act would make torture by security forces a crime for the first time if it became law. The bill has been sent to the standing committee, and the Senate could talk about it as soon as the next session in August.
Human Rights Watch’s Asia advocacy director, John Sifton, said that making torture a crime is the first step toward ending it in Pakistan.
“Justice and accountability will only be possible in cases of torture if parliament passes the torture bill and the government enforces the law by investigating claims of torture in a fair and open way.”
It said that HRW has known for a long time that police often use torture and other bad treatment when looking into crimes.
The watchdog said that criminal suspects from marginalized groups are especially likely to be abused by police. They said that torture methods include beatings with batons and litters (leather straps), stretching and crushing legs with roola (metal rods), sexual violence, not getting enough sleep for a long time, and causing severe mental pain, such as by making detainees watch other people being tortured.
Human Rights Watch said that allegations of torture in political cases should be looked into by authorities without regard to the political goals of the government.
During past governments, there have been many credible claims that political opponents or critics of the government were tortured or treated badly.
The HRW said that people are now paying more attention to the use of torture in political cases.
Sifton said, “By passing the torture bill, Pakistan will start a long-overdue process of reform to make sure that any future claims of torture are investigated openly and that those responsible are held accountable.”
