Results for: Torture

Ukrainian police officer Mariana Checheliuk has been reunited with her family after enduring a harrowing two-year captivity in Russian custody. The 24-year-old was abducted by Russian forces in 2022 and subjected to physical and psychological abuse, including starvation, beatings, and isolation. Her release came as part of a prisoner swap involving 75 POWs from both sides, facilitated by the United Arab Emirates. Mariana’s mother, Nataliia, recounted her daughter’s ordeal, revealing that she had suffered severe health consequences and had been denied communication with her family. The exchange marks the 52nd since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and has brought the total number of Ukrainian POWs and civilians recovered to 3,210.

Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old Cambridge student, was brutally tortured and murdered in Egypt in 2016 after being mistaken for a British spy plotting against the government. Prosecutors in Rome claim that Egyptian secret service officials broke Regeni’s arms, legs, and ribs, and then left his body burnt and sliced in a ditch. The allegations have shocked the Italian court and raised tensions between Italy and Egypt.

In a Manchester courtroom, Shaun Freeman, 29, vehemently denied allegations that he provided insider details to a gang responsible for a brutal kidnapping. Prosecutors accused Freeman of passing on information, including the victim’s car registration, which aided in the abduction and subsequent torture. However, Freeman dismissed these claims, stating, “I would never do something like that.”

A man accused of providing information to a group that kidnapped and tortured a man has denied involvement in the plot. Shaun Freeman, 29, is on trial with Delroy Chin, 47, who is alleged to have planted trackers on the victim’s car. Freeman admitted being friends with one of the convicted kidnappers, Michael Etuhu, but denied knowing the victim would be targeted. He also denied conducting an internet search for the victim or having knowledge of the registration plate found on his phone, stating that Etuhu had access to his phone and may have been responsible for those actions.

Three South African Police Service (SAPS) members have appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on charges of torture. Colonel Delmore Manuel, Constable Jermaine Conradie, and Constable Leigh-Ann Maroon were arrested on Monday afternoon in Mowbray, Cape Town, after an investigation by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). The charges stem from an incident on November 7, 2023, when Juma Igiranieza, a barber, was assaulted at his workplace. CCTV footage of the incident showed several officers, including the three accused, participating in the assault. Igiranieza was reportedly pummeled, struck with a wooden device, and smothered with plastic. The accused were released on unopposed bail of R2,000 each on condition that they refrain from contacting the complainant or visiting the scene of the incident. The case has been postponed to June 7 for further investigation.

A Russian man, Ruslan Khammatov, has accused Russian soldiers of torturing him after mistaking him for a Ukrainian spy. The incident took place near a key airbase, and Khammatov was subjected to horrific treatment, including physical assault, threats of sexual violence, and false accusations. Despite his protests of innocence and evidence on his phone indicating his pro-Russian stance, the soldiers continued their violent interrogation, leaving him battered and bloodied. The situation took a bizarre turn when the soldiers realized their mistake but chose to cover it up by coercing Khammatov to lie to the traffic police about the circumstances of his injuries. The police, complicit in the deception, fined him for a minor offense instead of addressing the human rights violations he had suffered.

A military contractor, CACI, is being sued by three survivors of the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The plaintiffs allege that CACI interrogators conspired with military police to torture them, while CACI’s defense argues that the US government is responsible. The case marks the first time a US jury has weighed claims of abuse at the prison, where photos of US soldiers abusing detainees sparked a worldwide scandal. The jury deliberated about three hours before pausing Monday afternoon without reaching a verdict.

In a civil trial against the military contractor CACI, the company’s defense argues that the plaintiffs should be suing the U.S. government instead. The plaintiffs, former Abu Ghraib detainees, allege that CACI interrogators contributed to torture by conspiring with military police to soften detainees up for interrogation. CACI relies on the borrowed servant doctrine, claiming that the Army was controlling their employees’ work. However, the plaintiffs’ lawyers dispute this and present evidence that CACI was responsible for supervising its own employees. The trial has been delayed for over 15 years due to legal wrangling and questions over immunity.