COPS TORTURE ‘MURDER’ CONFESSION

Thuli Rudd, the lesbian woman on trial in Swaziland for the murder of her partner, says she was tortured by more than 20 police officers who forced a confession out of her.

When she complained to a Swazi magistrate, the magistrate reportedly said he knew suspects were sometimes tortured by the police because he was a former officer.

Rudd told the High Court in Swaziland that officers at the Manzini Police Station tortured her during interrogation by tying her to a bench with rope and suffocating her with a plastic bag. She alleges that this happened after her arrest on 27 December 2009.

She also told the court that police officers, especially the investigator, Assistant Superintendent Aaron Methula, would insult her during interrogations, which took place over the course of two days.

Rudd was giving evidence in court during the trial in which she is accused of having murdered Pitseng Vilakati. Rudd denies murder.

She told the court that police did not initially allow her to meet with her attorney, Gigi Reid. She said that she reported her torture at the hands of the police to Manzini Magistrate Dumisani Mazibuko. She said Mazibuko told her that he was aware that suspects were sometimes tortured by the police because he was a former officer.

She said that he phoned the police and instructed them to transfer her to Mawelawela Women’s Correctional facility, but they did not oblige.

‘I was smelly and my arms were bruised. Methula insulted me with words I cannot repeat in court and I was degraded. My Lord, what I want to say is that I do not know who killed Pitseng. I was tortured in order to admit having committed the offence,’ Rudd said.

Torture by police of suspects is commonplace in Swaziland. I have reported numerous cases in the past year where this has happened. For details, click here, here, here, here, here, here, and here,

Strangely, as the US State Department noted in its 2009 report on human rights in Swaziland, although torture is prohibited by the Swaziland Constitution, ‘the provision prohibiting law enforcement officials from engaging in torture is located in the “policy” section of the constitution and is not enforceable in any court or tribunal. The law does not specifically prohibit such practices.

‘Security officials who engage in such practices may be punished, but no punishments were reported during the year [2009], and only one case was investigated. Security officers reportedly used torture during interrogation, assaulted citizens, and used excessive force in carrying out their duties. Reported practices included beatings and temporary suffocation using a rubber tube tied around the face, nose, and mouth, or plastic bags around the head.’

See also

WILL SWAZI LESBIAN GET FAIR TRIAL?

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2010/01/will-swazi-lesbian-get-fair-trial.html

MURDER AND GAY HATE IN SWAZILAND

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2010/01/murder-and-gay-hate-in-swaziland.html

KING’S PAPER ON POLICE BRUTALITY

The Swaziland newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III has accused the king’s police force of ‘brutality’.

The Swazi Observer reported the police shot a suspect six times even though he was handcuffed.

Ndumiso Ngandla Simelane may lose a leg as a result of the atrocity.

The Observer reported, ‘police brutality was at play when a 34-year old handcuffed housebreaking suspect was shot six times’.

The Observer says that Simelane was trying to escape from ‘a trigger-happy police officer’ when he was shot because he feared being tortured by them.

In an interview with the newspaper Simelane said ‘police officers locked him in an office (handcuffed) and displayed “tools” they use (torture) when they want to extract the truth from a stubborn suspect.

‘“It was just after 11am when the police officers came at my workshop and handcuffed me. They also ransacked my business where they took some items such as cell phones that were brought for repairs by my clients. I tried to reason with them that I was not aware of the offence they claimed I was linked to. They never wanted to listen and kept on telling me that I was on their wanted list.”

He told the Observer that the police said he should be ready to cooperate if he still wanted to see the next day.

The newspaper reported, ‘He said he was shown, among other things, a gigantic plastic bag, a rope as well as a tube which the police said were “tools” to be used in making him cooperate.'

Simelane said he was then left in one of the offices at the police post where one of the officers told him they were going out for lunch.

‘“This was the last straw. As they left me alone in the office I managed to sneak out still handcuffed. I could not bear the thought of being tortured. I felt the safest option was to flee,” said Simelane.

‘Simelane said having been warned what would happen to him; he decided to come out of the building where he had been left handcuffed.

‘“I decided to come out of the building and it was while I was outside the gate when the two police officers were alerted by other women seated at the verandah. They apprehended me just by the gate. I heard the sound of the gun and fell to the ground,” said Simelane.

‘“Still with my hands handcuffed on the back, I picked myself from the ground and pleaded for their mercy. It was not given as one of them pulled out his revolver and started shooting. I was shot six times as you can see,” he added, pointing to the gunshot wounds on both legs.

‘He said he was then rushed to the Hlatikulu Government Hospital. He said given the serious injuries he sustained as a result of the bullets, chances were that he may be crippled for the rest of his life.’

This is not the first case where police in Swaziland have been trigger happy. To read more click here.

POLICE TORTURE IN SWAZI ‘BOMB’ CASE

Swazi police tortured two men accused of terrorist activities to get them to confess.

The Swaziland High Court was told that more than 12 police officers tied one of them to a bench, handcuffed him and then used a rubber tube, plastic bag and surgical gloves to suffocate him in an attack that lasted more than an hour.

Bhekumusa Dlamini, who is accused of involvement in a spate of petrol bottle attacks in Swaziland, said in a written statement to the court that he was arrested at his home and taken to KaPhunga Police Station where he was attacked by at least 12 police officers.

Bhekumusa Dlamini said, ‘I was insulted, called names, slapped on my face and all over my body by the whole contingent of officers therein.'

He went on, ‘At KaPhunga Police Station, I was severely tortured, tied onto a bench facing up, my chest tied around the bench, my legs as well and my arms were handcuffed at the back around the bench.

‘For over an hour or even more I would be suffocated by use of a rubber tube, plastic bag and surgical gloves. One officer carried a jar full of cold water that he would spill onto my face each time the suffocation tools were momentarily moved.

‘I was suffocated to the extent that I soiled myself and I was in no position to deny anything I was told to admit.’

In another separate incident, Zonke Dlamini, who is charged alongside Bhekumusa Dlamini, told the High Court in a statement that he was taken to KaPhunga Police Station and tortured in the same way as Bhekumusa Dlamini, but this time 18 police officers were involved.

In a statement to the court he said he almost lost consciousness several times. He says the torturing made him confess to involvement in terrorism.

Torture by police officers in Swaziland is common. On Monday this week (26 July 2010) I reported how at least 10 police officers were caught torturing a suspect at Mbabane police station.

On Tuesday I reported how a case had been filed in the Swaziland High Court against police in Manzini after a man accused of stealing a cellphone was suffocated after he had his hands cuffed and his feet tied.