Kyrgyzstan: two citizens were tortured in detention centers in the south of the country

Since May 1, human rights activists, who were working in the south of Kyrgyzstan, received two reports of torture from temporary detention centers and one about cruel treatment. This was said to ACCA by Alisher Ermatov, the representative of the National Center for the Prevention of Torture in the region.

During the conversation, he noted that he received much more calls. However, only three cases were confirmed.

“We received a report of torture from the temporary detention center in Suzak district of Jalal-Abad region. According to the victim [a man, suspected of murder], during a morning walk, there was a verbal skirmish between the prisoner and the policeman, which grew into a brawl. Then he was dragged into the office, where they began to beat and strangle him. Trying to get away from the blows, he cut his leg on the acute angle of the leg of the chair. An active participant in the beating of the suspect was the policeman Melis. Our group of specialists left for the place. They recorded traces of strangulation on the man’s neck,” said Ermatov.

The representative of the National Center for the Prevention of Torture added that today, on May 14, he prepared and sent the letter concerning this fact to the Regional Prosecutor’s office for further investigation. The check has already been started with regard to the district police officer who is suspected of torture of a man held in a temporary detention facility.

“Another case of torture was in Nooken district. There, the man was beaten, his lip was broken. A criminal case has already been opened in this case. Also, we received a report of cruel treatment from the temporary detention center in Jalal-Abad. The man had a vein swollen in his groin, and he needed urgent treatment. In the temporary detention center, he couldn’t get the proper treatment, so he turned to the staff doctor for a medical referral. However, the doctor demanded $395 (30 000 KGS) from the patient for his services. I also sent the letter concerning this case to the City Prosecutor’s office,” Alisher Ermatov added.