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Police sued over reported torture

    ABIDJAN

    Two humanitarian organisations and a Mauritanian-born Frenchman, Mohamed Baba have sued Mauritania's police for allegedly torturing Baba. The complaint was filed in a court in Clermont-Ferrand, France, the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH) said on Wednesday.

    Co-plaintiffs FIDH and the French Human Rights League said the suit was against the interior minister, various senior officials of the Mauritanian security services, and anyone else involved.

    According to the FIDH, Baba was arrested on 12 April after arriving in Mauritania to "visit his family" and taken to the headquarters of the state security services in the capital, Nouakchott.

    "During the interrogation, Baba realized the Mauritanian authorities were trying to establish a link between him and an unauthorized opposition movement. Baba, who had already had his clothes removed, was subject to various torture techniques day after day: the so-called 'jaguar' or 'standing sitting' torture, sleep deprivation and violence to the genitals," FIDH said. He was released after nine days.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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