The Human Rights Watch (HRW), a global human rights organisation stated that Sri Lanka's police forces are regularly torturing and ill-treating criminal suspects in custody.
The report named 'We Live in Constant Fear': Lack of Accountability for Police Abuse in Sri Lanka, stated severe beating, electric shock, rubbing chili paste in the genitals and suspension from ropes in painful positions are among the various methods used by the Sri Lanka police, the LankaPage reported.
HRW Asia director Brad Adams said that even though Sri Lanka has decent laws to protect against such abuse, unfortunately these laws are treated as mere suggestions.
The research was conducted in greater Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka in 2014 and 2015.
It stated that suspects are usually not informed of the reason for their arrest and are often not produced before a magistrate with 24 hours as required by the law. Even the family members sometimes are neither informed about the arrest nor allowed to meet the suspects.
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Even if the victims and their families files cases against the misconduct by the police, there is little possibility of justice and accountability.
In rural areas, policemen many times threaten against victims if they file any kind of complaint against them.
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The Sri Lanka police can only gain the trust of the people only if it end the barbaric practice of torture. Strict punishment should be taken against those who use such method of abuse, Brad Adams said.
