[NYC-L] [AMCC-News] Macedonia: Police ill-treatment and torture of detainees continues (22 Jan 2003)

[Mentor Cana]

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http://www.amnesty.org.uk/deliver?document=14306

Full report available at:
http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/Index/EUR650012003?OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIES\MACEDONIA

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Police ill-treatment and torture
of detainees continues

Amnesty International has documented ongoing police ill-treatment and
torture in Macedonia with the publication of a new report, 'Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Police allegedly ill-treat members of
ethnic minorities' detailing six cases of alleged ill-treatment by
police officers.
    "Ill-treatment by police officers affects all ethnic groups in
Macedonia, but in many cases reported to us it appears that
ill-treatment by police has an overt ethnic or racial element to them.
The Macedonian Authorities must send a clear signal to its police force
that torture, ill-treatment and discriminatory treatment of detainees
will not be tolerated," Amnesty International said.
    The organisation is calling on Macedonian authorities to seriously
address the issue of police ill-treatment and impunity. Amnesty
International calls for any law enforcement official found to be
responsible for ill-treatment to face disciplinary action, and criminal
charges where appropriate.
    "Law enforcement officials convicted of torture or serious
ill-treatment should be subjected to appropriate criminal sanctions, as
well as immediate dismissal from the police force. Victims of torture or
ill-treatment are entitled to prompt reparation," the organisation
stated.
    Despite the frequency of allegations of police torture or
ill-treatment, the number of prosecutions of police officers for such
offences is so low as to be almost negligible. Amnesty International is
further informed that, in the past, most if not all of the cases raised
with the Macedonian authorities by the office of the Peoples Defender
(Ombudsperson) have been dismissed as unfounded despite at times
compelling evidence to the contrary. Amnesty International believes that
this compounds the current climate of impunity.
    Amnesty International welcomed the decision by the Macedonian
authorities on 16 January to authorize the publication of the reports
drawn up by the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of
Torture (CPT), after ad hoc visits in October 2001 and July 2002 .
    The organisation noted that the CPT report on its July visit stated:
    "the Committee can only conclude that the physical ill-treatment of
persons deprived of their liberty by the law enforcement agencies in
'the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia' continues to be a serious
problem in 2002, four years after the first periodic visit when similar
conclusions were reached.... It should be added that after the July 2002
visit, the CPT has continued to receive allegations of ill-treatment by
law enforcement officials."

Read the Report
http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/Index/EUR650012003?OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIES\MACEDONIA
PDF:
http://web.amnesty.org/aidoc/aidoc_pdf.nsf/index/EUR650012003ENGLISH/$File/EUR6500103.pdf
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