‘Evidence of torture’ indicates detainees were abused while in police custody — report

AMMAN — Evidence of torture and abuse indicates that several detainees had died while in custody of Jordanian authorities, allegedly under investigation, according to a report by the Adaleh Centre for Human Rights Studies.

Several death certificates of deceased detainees and prisoners were included in the report, which claimed that it documented signs of severe beatings and the use of traditional torture.

The report cited several relatives of detainees who allegedly died under torture, saying they had seen the bodies of their deceased bearing clear marks of abuse and violence, not to mention arrests made “without sufficient evidence” by the Public Security Department (PSD).

According to the report, which was released on Monday, “some of the corpses were so swollen and deformed that their own relatives were unable to recognise them when requested to identify their bodies”.

“My father could not recognise his own son, my brother, lying at the morgue, deformed and all swollen up. Neither did I at first,” Buthaina Omoush said.

The death of her brother, Bilal Omoush, who was allegedly tortured in prison, became a public issue after the case went viral on social media earlier this year.

Another detainee, Ali Hamdan, who was held over drug-related charges, is quoted in the report as telling his sister, that “he had been beaten and abused all night upon arrest”. He died a few days later.

The centre said it has launched several investigations into various prisons and reported cases of torture and abuse in police custody, the report said, calling for preventing such “violations”.

The centre’s report listed a number of recommendations, including outlining a code of ethics for PSD officers to follow and “serious” punishment for perpetrators of violent acts against detainees, as well as the abolition of solitary confinement in all prisons.

In a statement issued later on Monday, PSD responded by saying that for several years it has maintained an open and cooperative approach with all human rights organisations. 

In response to Adaleh’s report, PSD also added that there were specialised units tasked with ensuring that  police personnel abide by the legal measures pertaining to handling detainees during an investigation. 

The department added that the specialised units also handle complaints and notes they receive on the legality of the measures police employ during interrogations. 

The statement added that the department was surprised with remarks by lawyer Asem Rababaah, quoted in Adaleh’s report as saying that “torture in Jordan is systematic”.

The department charged that such organisations never highlight the “sacrifice” of police personnel and other security agencies in safeguarding the security and stability of the Kingdom.