Medicolegal Significance of Torture Under Police Custody on Prisoners’ Health and Recommendations for Prevention of Violence Against Torture

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:
The aim of the study was to determine (a) most common sites of torture, nature of injuries and their complications and (b) psychological and physical effects of torture on the prisoner’s mental and physical health.

METHODOLOGY:
It was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The study was conducted on 193 prisoners admitted at District Police Hospital Peshawar over a period of one year. These prisoners were the victims of torture under police captivity. Majority of the victims were prisoners. The data was collected on a Performa mentioning age, duration of captivity; nature of injuries (simple, grievous), weapon used for physical torture (blunt, sharp) and prisoners were interviewed and examined by the medical officers and co-authors. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis.

RESULTS:
One hundred and eighty (93.2%) of the 193 subjects were male. Average age was 27.4 ±4 years. Hundred (51.8%) prisoners were physically tortured and 92 cases (47.6%) were due to physical assault among prisoners. Out of 92 cases 12 (13.04%) prisoners showed injuries due to strenuous physical work, mostly on palms and soles in the form of blisters. These injuries were carefully examined and correlated with history. Torture methods observed in this study were beating with hands on face (35.6%), whipping with rod (61.6%), kicking on buttock and abdomen (16.4%), forceful dragging (16.4%), burning with cigarettes (12.3%), hanging with hand cuffs (13.7%) and whipping on palms and sole (6.9%). Majority of the cases (74%) were tortured in custody, (12.3%) in prisons, (9.6%) on the street and (4.1%) at home. The impact of physical and psychological torture was variable depending upon the duration of captivity and nature of torture. Patients kept for a longer period 42 (42%) had developed post captivity psychosocial stress syndrome. Physical torture has taken 07 (3%) lives and 24 (12.4%) victims were permanently disabled in this year.

CONCLUSION:
A wide range of different types of injuries were observed on various parts of the body. Blunt trauma was most frequent. Violation of Istanbul Protocol for violence against torture under police custody was also clear.