NewsWhore
02-24-2012, 01:30 PM
Amnesty International said yesterday that the Dominican Republic must break with its shameful practice of police abuse now it has ratified the UN Convention against Torture.
The international treaty, which prohibits torture and other mistreatment of police detainees, came into force in the DR on Thursday, February 23.
Amnesty International has previously documented shocking levels of abuse, including torture and unlawful killings, by police in the country.
"The Dominican Republic should be commended joining this important international treaty to combat torture," said Javier Zuniga, Special Advisor to Amnesty International.
"But the country's authorities n and the National Police in particular n must end once and for all the decades-long practice of abuse, and get to work to meet the treaty's provisions by enforcing the law in a manner that respects human rights."
In a report published in October 2011, Amnesty International documented an unacceptable and persistent pattern of abuse and killings by police in the Dominican Republic.
According to the country's Prosecutor General's Office, 289 people were killed by police in 2011, up from 260 a year before. More than a tenth of all homicides in the country in 2011 were committed by the police.
Amnesty International research has documented how individuals are often detained and subjected to torture and other mistreatment in police custody, frequently without being formally charged or convicted of any crime. Research by the organization also showed that most of these cases are not adequately investigated and that authorities deny that torture takes place in the country.
To fully implement the newly ratified treaty, authorities in the Dominican Republic will have to ensure that prompt and impartial investigations are conducted whenever there are reasonable grounds to believe that an act of torture has been committed.
They must also ensure that victims of abuse have access to compensation and medical and psychological rehabilitation.
"Victims of police torture in the Dominican Republic must have access to justice and be given adequate reparations for their suffering," said Javier Zuniga.
A year after the treaty enters into force in the Dominican Republic, the authorities will be required to submit a progress report to the UN Committee Against Torture.
www.amnesty.org/en/news/dominican-republic-end-police-abuse-comply-un-treaty-2012-02-21 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/dominican-republic-end-police-abuse-comply-un-treaty-2012-02-21)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#9)
The international treaty, which prohibits torture and other mistreatment of police detainees, came into force in the DR on Thursday, February 23.
Amnesty International has previously documented shocking levels of abuse, including torture and unlawful killings, by police in the country.
"The Dominican Republic should be commended joining this important international treaty to combat torture," said Javier Zuniga, Special Advisor to Amnesty International.
"But the country's authorities n and the National Police in particular n must end once and for all the decades-long practice of abuse, and get to work to meet the treaty's provisions by enforcing the law in a manner that respects human rights."
In a report published in October 2011, Amnesty International documented an unacceptable and persistent pattern of abuse and killings by police in the Dominican Republic.
According to the country's Prosecutor General's Office, 289 people were killed by police in 2011, up from 260 a year before. More than a tenth of all homicides in the country in 2011 were committed by the police.
Amnesty International research has documented how individuals are often detained and subjected to torture and other mistreatment in police custody, frequently without being formally charged or convicted of any crime. Research by the organization also showed that most of these cases are not adequately investigated and that authorities deny that torture takes place in the country.
To fully implement the newly ratified treaty, authorities in the Dominican Republic will have to ensure that prompt and impartial investigations are conducted whenever there are reasonable grounds to believe that an act of torture has been committed.
They must also ensure that victims of abuse have access to compensation and medical and psychological rehabilitation.
"Victims of police torture in the Dominican Republic must have access to justice and be given adequate reparations for their suffering," said Javier Zuniga.
A year after the treaty enters into force in the Dominican Republic, the authorities will be required to submit a progress report to the UN Committee Against Torture.
www.amnesty.org/en/news/dominican-republic-end-police-abuse-comply-un-treaty-2012-02-21 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/dominican-republic-end-police-abuse-comply-un-treaty-2012-02-21)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#9)