Calls for probe into police torture allegations

The latest death of a suspect in police custody in Swaziland has triggered renewed calls from the public and human rights groups for a probe into allegations of torture. Mandla Ngubeni, 28, was taken in last Friday for questioning by police in Mbabane, the capital, along with seven other employees of Fast Towing Services after Lilangeni 28,494.2 (US $4,363) was found missing from the company. Ngubeni was discovered dead in a police cell at 04h00 on Saturday. His family was not notified of his whereabouts until 10h00 on Sunday. Photographs taken of Ngubeni's body at a Manzini mortuary have been prominently displayed in the local newspapers. His head is swollen and bruised, with bloody scars on his face. Ngubeni's father told the press the police had informed him that his son had died of natural causes. On Thursday night, Deputy Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula released a statement saying that the police were investigating the cause of Ngubeni's death. He noted that "the inquest and post-mortem have not been concluded" as yet, and said the authorities "do not condone unprofessional conduct by police officers". Lawyers for Human Rights Swaziland on Friday called for an independent investigation into the latest death in police custody. "There have been several deaths of criminal suspects undergoing interrogation this year. In every instance, the police claimed to have launched an internal investigation. The results of these investigations are never made public. No police officer is ever punished," said a source within the group. The Times of Swaziland has also called for an independent investigation. The newspaper reported that Principal Magistrate John Gama had previously recommended that police officers in charge of interrogations where suspects had died should be charged and tried. His call has not been heeded by police authorities. The Friday edition of the newspaper printed public reaction to Ngubeni's death. "If you want to live long, then don't get arrested in this country. This thing has fast become a trend in the country," said one interviewee. In its global report on human rights abuses released this week, Amnesty International cited Swaziland's record of unexplained deaths of suspects undergoing interrogation by the police and said the suspects were tortured. A report by the US State Department on human rights in Swaziland, released earlier this year, also faulted the kingdom for the torture of suspects in police care. "Police used excessive force on some occasions, and there were reports that police tortured and beat some suspects," said the US government's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour in its annual country report. Police spokesman Assistant Superintendent Vusie Masuku would not comment on Ngubeni's death, saying the matter was under investigation. "These are allegations only," he told IRIN. Amnesty International has offered to pay legal fees for the Ngubeni family. "As Amnesty International we are deeply concerned about the atrocities we hear are happening in Swaziland. The problem is that it is very difficult to investigate such cases there in Swaziland," Amnesty said in a statement. "We want to help the Ngubeni family, especially if they want to engage the services of a lawyer to get to the bottom of this issue."