Amnesty slams police torture in region

Police in Southern Africa continue to torture and ill-treat criminal suspects and political activists, Amnesty International alleged in a report released on Tuesday. The organisation said: "Every day in countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), human rights are under attack from the police. Excessive or unjustified lethal force is used to suppress peaceful protest and government opponents are arbitrarily detained." Amnesty singled out Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, and Tanzania where "biased policing in relation to minority and vulnerable communities and the political opposition has been a problem". In its report - "Policing to protect human rights" - Amnesty International said police brutality was still a reality in the majority of the SADC countries. Such activities had not resulted in a reduction in crime, nor did they assist in finding solutions to political problems. "Instead, they gravely undermine the professionalism of the police and fail in their duty to protect victims of crime and prevent human rights violations. "Enhancing the security for all living in the SADC region must be built upon good governance, the promotion and protection of human rights for all without distinction and respect for the rule of law," the organisation said. Only a few countries in the region had set up "effective mechanisms to detect and remedy abuses" and the organisation called on the rest of the states to do so urgently. It also called on states to: repeal or amend laws which facilitate human rights abuses, particularly those which permit excessive use of force or incommunicado detention; integrate human rights training with training in operational skills; and improve the accessibility and accountability of police services to all communities without distinction. "In Zimbabwe the undermining of professional and impartial policing has taken an extreme form in the past two years. Police have been directly involved in the torture, ill-treatment, and arbitrary arrest of members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). They have also been complicit in nationally widespread acts of violence, arson and rape committed by state-sponsored militia against supporters of the MDC," Amnesty alleged. Addressing this situation was a serious challenge "to the authority and integrity of the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO), and the institutions of SADC itself". It said growing concern of violent crime - particularly where policemen themselves had become victims of armed criminals - had pushed governments to respond "by all means necessary". "In several SADC countries, including Angola, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia this has led to suspected criminals being arbitrarily arrested, tortured or killed. The violent activities of some anti-crime vigilante groups in countries such as Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa have added to a climate of crisis," Amnesty said. In South Africa, in a significant ruling on the use of force on 21 May 2002, the Constitutional Court, while affirming police officers' right to self-defence, made it clear that the state should never allow excessive force and should uphold human rights for everyone, including suspected criminals. This, Amnesty said, could apply to other countries in the region. "All governments in the region need to display greater political will in seeking solutions to the rise in violent criminality in a manner consistent with the protection of human rights," the organisation said. The focus should be on improving the ability of the police to investigate crime lawfully and effectively and in cooperation with the affected communities. For the full report: http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/afr030042002