Torture by Police, Forced Disappearance & Other Ill Treatment In the early years of the 21st Century, 2000 to
2025 gvnet.com/torture/PapuaNewGuinea.htm
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CAUTION: The following links
have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Papua New
Guinea. Some of these links may lead
to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even
false. No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to
verify their content. HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE Students If you are looking
for material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on
this page and others to see which aspects of Torture by Authorities are of
particular interest to you. You might
be interested in exploring the moral justification for inflicting pain or
inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment in order to obtain critical
information that may save countless lives, or to elicit a confession for a
criminal act, or to punish someone to teach him a lesson outside of the
courtroom. Perhaps your paper might
focus on some of the methods of torture, like fear, extreme temperatures,
starvation, thirst, sleep deprivation, suffocation, or immersion in freezing
water. On the other hand, you might
choose to write about the people acting in an official capacity who
perpetrate such cruelty. There is a
lot to the subject of Torture by Authorities.
Scan other countries as well as this one. Draw comparisons between activity in
adjacent countries and/or regions.
Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources
that are available on-line. ***
ARCHIVES *** 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Papua New Guinea U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and
Labor, 30 March 2021 www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/papua-new-guinea/
[accessed 3 August
2021] TORTURE AND OTHER
CRUEL, INHUMAN, OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT Although the
constitution prohibits torture, individual police and correctional-services
officers frequently beat and otherwise abused citizens or suspects before or
during arrests, during interrogations, and in pretrial detention. There were
numerous press accounts of such abuses, particularly against young detainees.
In June, East Sepik Province Governor Allan Bird criticized police abuse
under the COVID-19 State of Emergency, citing reports by women who marketed food
that police beat them and took money from them. In April, for
example, media reported that police raided an open-air market outside of Port
Moresby, where they broke vendors’ goods, stole items, and carried out body
searches of men and women. A police superintendent told media that since no
victims had come forward, police would not investigate the allegations.
According to an August news report, police stole beer valued at 80,000 kina
(PGK) ($23,000) and PGK 300,000 ($86,000) in cash from a store owner in
multiple incidents in April and May. In October media
reported that a sexual assault suspect in police custody was stripped naked
in a cell and beaten by the families of the alleged victims with police
complicity. Police Minister Bryan Kramer launched an investigation of the
beating and of “excessive force used in his arrest.” In Papua New
Guinea, witch hunts, torture and murder are reactions to the modern world Roberta Staley, Post
Magazine, 30 March 2019 [accessed 8 May
2019] They tied her up
and got tyres from a big truck,” recalls Kapo, who stood by helplessly as Leniata,
who had been tortured with a hot iron rod, was bound and gagged, then dumped
onto the rubbish pile along with the tyres, which
were set ablaze. He looks slightly ill, then says in
a small voice. “She didn’t die quickly. It took about 30 minutes.” He pauses.
“Some people were horrified,” says the 26-year-old, who, along with his
parents, sells betel nuts on the same busy street, Warakum
Junction Road, where Leniata met her ghastly end. Freedom House
Country Report 2018 Edition freedomhouse.org/country/papua-new-guinea/freedom-world/2018 [accessed 18 May 2020] F3. IS THERE
PROTECTION FROM THE ILLEGITIMATE USE OF PHYSICAL FORCE AND FREEDOM FROM WAR
AND INSURGENCIES? Law enforcement
officials have been implicated in corruption, unlawful killings, extortion,
rape, theft, and brutality. Prison conditions are poor, and the correctional
service is understaffed. Prison breaks are common. Lack of economic
opportunities exacerbates urban unrest, frequently resulting in violent
clashes, injuries, and deaths. West
Papuan man tortured to death by the Indonesian military in Merauke FreeWest Papua Campaign, 23
November 2017 [accessed 23
November 2017] There, he was
brutally tortured and beaten repeatedly by the Indonesian military, leading
to highly severe injuries and wounds all over his body. According to a source
in Merauke, he was then taken to the Kimaam police station and thrown into a cell “for being
drunk and making a fuss”. While in the cell, Izak continued to cry out in pain at his torture and soon
after being detained there, he died from his injuries. Papua
New Guinea: Disgraceful shootings of students Amnesty
International AI, 8 June 2016 www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/06/papua-new-guinea-disgraceful-shootings-of-students/ [accessed 12 January
2019] The shooting of
students peacefully protesting in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New
Guinea, is a disgraceful attack on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly
and expression, Amnesty International said today. The organisation
has received information that there are 38 people injured, including four in
critical condition. Three people are still being assessed in emergency. The Papua New
Guinea police opened fire today on a group of students at Papua New Guinea
University who were peacefully protesting against the alleged corruption of
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill. Several
eye-witnesses have come forward to say they saw students beaten and shot at,
including one case where a student was shot in the head. In a statement, Prime Minister O’Neill
blamed the violence on the students who had set out from their university for
a peaceful protest at parliament. Before any investigation has taken place,
he has denied that the police targeted the students, claiming that their only
response was the use of tear-gas and “warning shots.” Human
Rights Watch World Report 2015 - Events of 2014 Human Rights Watch,
29 January 2015 www.hrw.org/world-report/2015/...
or
www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/wr2015_web.pdf [accessed 18 March
2015] PAPUA NEW GUINEA TORTURE AND OTHER
POLICE ABUSE
- Physical and sexual abuse of detainees—including children—by police and
paramilitary police units continues to be widespread. In March, a videotape
surfaced of police officers surrounding and unleashing three dogs on a
defenseless man. Police officials later condemned the abuse and said the
incident was being investigated. UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial,
Summary or Arbitrary Executions Christof Heyns
visited PNG in March and expressed concerns about police use of excessive
force during arrest, interrogation, and pretrial detention, sometimes
resulting in death. In October, Prime
Minister O’Neill highlighted the problem of police brutality, admitting that
the PNG police force lacks discipline and is not sufficiently serving the
interests of the people of PNG. O’Neill announced that a hotline will be
established for members of the public to report instances of police abuse. 'Sorcerers'
beheaded after three days of torture in Papua New Guinea Agence France-Presse
AFP in Sydney, 8 Apr 2013 [accessed 9 April
2013] Two elderly women
have been beheaded in Papua New Guinea after being tortured for three days, a
report has said in the latest in a string of sorcery-related crimes. Police were present
during the killings last week but were outnumbered by an angry mob and could
do nothing to prevent the grisly deaths, according to The Post-Courier newspaper.
"The two women
were rounded up and taken to Lopele village after they were suspected of
practising sorcery and blamed for the death of the former teacher, who was
from Lopele village," he said. They were tortured
for three days, suffering knife and axe wounds, before being beheaded in
front of the police who had been sent to the village to mediate, the report
said. PNG
women in Easter torture Agence France-Presse
AFP, 6 April 2013 www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/png-women-in-easter-torture/story-e6frg6so-1226613576167 [accessed 6 April
2013] A report in The
National newspaper said six women and a man accused of sorcery were tortured
as Easter "sacrifices" in a village in the Southern Highlands on
March 28. The man, Komape
Lap, 54, told the newspaper he fought with his attackers and escaped but did
not know what had become of the six women, two of whom were his wives. He
said the women had their hands tied, were stripped naked and had hot irons
placed "into their genitals" during the ordeal. "This type of
violence is carried out in the Highlands and it is reported regularly." Still Making Their
Own Rules Human Rights Watch,
October 30, 2006 www.hrw.org/reports/2006/10/29/still-making-their-own-rules-0 [accessed 10
February 2013] Ongoing Impunity
for Police Beatings, Rape, and Torture in Papua New Guinea This 50-page report
is a follow-up to Human Rights Watch’s 2005 report on police violence against
children. The report tracks developments in 2005 and 2006, and determines
that abusive police officials rarely face punishment. Police violence against
children remains rampant in Papua New Guinea, despite recent juvenile justice
reform efforts. Children and others in police custody are often raped and
tortured. ‘Making
Their Own Rules’ Police Beatings, Rape, and Torture of Children in Papua New
Guinea Human Rights Watch,
September 2005 Vol. 17, No. 8 (C) www.streetchildrenresources.org/resources/making-their-own-rules-police-beatings-rape-and-torture-of-children-in-papua-new-guinea/ [accessed 27
December 2016] Papua New Guinea’s serious
crime problem is being met with a violent police response. Children, who make
up nearly half of the country’s some 5.6 million people, are especially
vulnerable. The experience of Steven E. reflects that of many children at the
hands of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, the country’s police force.
Brutal beatings, rape, and torture of children, as well as confinement in
sordid police lockup, are widespread police practices. Although even high
level government officials acknowledge this, almost nothing has been done to
stop it. The vast majority of children who are arrested are severely beaten
and often tortured by members of the police. Almost everyone Human Rights
Watch interviewed in each area we visited who had been arrested was beaten. Children
reported being kicked and beaten by gun butts, crowbars (“pins bars”), wooden
batons, fists, rubber hoses, and chairs. AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL From an old article -- URL not available Article was
published sometime prior to 2015 VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN AND GIRLS
- Violence against women and girls remained widespread. Domestic violence was
common, and a culture of silence and impunity prevailed. Assaults in police
custody were frequently reported. In June, a police officer
from Port Moresby was found guilty of two counts of rape of a woman in
custody. In August, a young
girl with a disability was burned to death in election-related violence in
the highlands. Concerns were also raised that women in some areas were prevented
from freely expressing their vote at the ballot box. Following a visit
to the country in March, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women
declared such violence “a pervasive phenomenon in Papua New Guinea”, with
incidents occurring at every level of society – “in the home, community and
institutional settings”. She identified polygamy as one factor contributing
to violence in the family, and called on government to meet its
responsibilities to protect women from violence, including addressing
traditional practices that are harmful to women. Search … AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL For more
articles:: Search Amnesty
International’s website www.amnesty.org/en/search/?q=papua+new+guinea+torture&ref=&year=&lang=en&adv=1&sort=relevance [accessed 10 January 2019] Scroll
Down ***
EARLIER EDITIONS OF SOME OF THE ABOVE *** Human
Rights Reports » 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78787.htm [accessed 10
February 2013] 2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78787.htm [accessed 7 July
2019] TORTURE
AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN, OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT – The constitution
prohibits such practices; however, individual police members frequently beat
and otherwise abused suspects during arrests, interrogations, and in pretrial
detention. There were numerous press accounts of such abuses, particularly
against young detainees. In January
correction officers at Buimo prison beat and
sexually abused young male detainees by forcing them to have anal sex with
each other. At year's end no action had been taken against the officers, and
they continued to work at the prison. In October the nongovernmental
organization (NGO) Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported continued widespread
police abuse of children in custody, including severe beatings and sexual
abuse. Freedom House
Country Report - Political Rights: 4 Civil Liberties: 3 Status: Partly Free 2009 Edition www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2009/papua-new-guinea [accessed 10
February 2013] LONG
URL ç 2009 Country Reports begin on Page 21 [accessed 13 May
2020] The judiciary is independent,
and the legal system is based on English common law. The Supreme Court is the
final court of appeal and has original jurisdiction on constitutional
matters. The National Court hears most cases and appeals from the lower
district courts. Laypeople sit on village courts to adjudicate minor offenses
under both customary and statutory law. Suspects often suffer lengthy
pretrial detentions and trial delays because of a lack of trained judicial
personnel. In August 2008, 200 inmates at Buimo
jail, the largest correctional facility in PNG, went on a hunger strike to
protest the long delays in their cases. Law enforcement
officials have been accused of unlawful killings, extortion, rape, theft, the
sale of firearms, and the use of excessive force in the arrest and
interrogation of suspects. In 2007, the Ombudsman’s Commission named the
police department PNG’s most corrupt government agency. The correctional
service is short of staff, and prison conditions are poor. Prison breaks are
not uncommon: more than 60 inmates, including violent criminals, escaped from
prisons in 2008.Serious crimes, including firearms smuggling, rape, murder,
and drug trafficking, continue to increase. Weak governance and law
enforcement are said to have made PNG a base for many Asian organized crime
groups. Military control and effectiveness are hampered by a lack of training
and equipment, poor morale, low pay, corruption, and disciplinary problems. All
material used herein reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107
for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT
ARTICLES. Cite this
webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin, "Torture by Police, Forced Disappearance
& Other Ill Treatment in the early years of the 21st Century- Papua New
Guinea", http://gvnet.com/torture/PapuaNewGuinea.htm, [accessed
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