Amnesty
International warned about large number of deaths and rapes in South African police custody in its 2011 summary.
Amnesty International flagged police torture,
deaths in custody, extrajudicial killings and threats to the work of human
rights defenders as matters of concern in South
Africa. It cited Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD)
figures for April 2009 to March 2010 – which recorded five direct complaints
against the police of torture and 920 complaints of assault with intent to
cause grievous bodily harm by the police – and only some of which were being
investigated for evidence of torture. Seven of 294 deaths in custody in 2010
were linked to torture and 90 others to “injuries sustained in custody”. The
ICD also investigated 24 complaints of rape by police officers. Also of concern
to Amnesty were the changes to the Criminal Procedures Act that allows
police to use deadly force against a suspect resisting or fleeing arrest,
where they believed there is a risk of “future death” if the suspect escaped.
A.I. warned: “This proposed change allowed for the use of deadly force “in
circumstances beyond those allowed by international human rights standards”.The
report also raised concerns over threats to freedom of expression and the work
of human rights defenders. It cited, among others, the trial of 12 supporters
of housing rights movement Abahlali baseMjondolo on charges relating to
violence in the Kennedy Road informal settlement in 2009 and the unlawful
arrest of Sunday Times journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika after his reports
on an alleged hit squad linked to senior Limpopo provincial government members.
Also of concern were ANC plans for a media appeals tribunal and the
tabling of the draconian Protection of Information Bill. Amnesty
International did not however condemn the well-recorded, ongoing genocide of
the Afrikaners and the unconstitutional hatespeech targetting the white
minority for genocide by the ANC regime.
http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/amnesty-red-flag-police-brutality-1.1068706
http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/amnesty-red-flag-police-brutality-1.1068706
