United Nations: UN Human Rights Expert Juan E. Mendez Claims Torture Is Still A Tactic Used In Sri Lanka Investigations

Juan E. Mendez made the claim that torture is still a tactic used in Sri Lanka investigations despite the fact its use had decreased since the island nation’s civil war ended seven years ago.

According to ABC News, Juan E. Mendez, who is an expert for the UN pertaining to human rights, was on a nine-day trip to Sri Lanka. While there, he discussed many of Sri Lanka’s issues, but on his last day of the trip, Saturday, May 7, he made a claim that torture was still a viable method used among Sri Lanka investigations.

Mendez’s claim was not made of smoke, however, as he has backed it up with testimony from individuals who say they have been tortured while in detention. Mendez even utilized forensics analysis and tests to prove the tortured individuals’ testimonies to be truth.

“Fewer cases are reported today than during the conflict period and perhaps the methods used by the police forces are at times less severe. But sadly the practice of interrogation under physical and mental coercion still exists and severe forms of torture albeit probably in less frequent instances continue to be used.”

In present-day news, torture being utilized by the government is a touchy topic. For example, President Barack Obama is putting in the effort to close Guantanamo Bay before his term in office ends this year. One of the reasons Obama cites for the notorious prison’s closure is its numerous torture techniques, as listed by the Justice Campaign. These include sexual assault and humiliation, sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, solitary confinement and isolation, mock executions, forced medication, temperature extremes, sensory bombardment, and psychological techniques. Such were used to obtain information from detainees, but many question if such methods truly work.

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Preliminary observations & recommendations of Special Rapporteur on torture Juan E. Mendezhttps://t.co/xdl0ilwxI3 pic.twitter.com/NobzcznhPL

— ???????? garikaalan (@garikaalan) May 7, 2016

Although the torture Sri Lanka investigations use is nowhere near as extreme as Guantanamo Bay, it still is considered by Juan E. Mendez to violate human rights. Methods used include asphyxiation using plastic bags drenched in kerosene, hanging detainees upside down, applying chili powder to the face and eyes, and the mutilation of and rubbing of chili paste and onions on genitals.

If the torture wasn’t enough of an issue, the Sri Lankan prisons Juan E. Mendez visited were often overcrowded and dilapidated to the point such a vicinity would be very dangerous not just for the inmates but for anyone who steps into them, as reported by MSN.

“I am struggling with adjectives to say what these conditions are like, because deplorable doesn’t even begin to tell the story. These places are very old, some 170 years and they never seem to have been maintained. They are literally crumbling on the prisoners even with the stairs that are very unstable and walls and ceilings seem to be falling on the prisoners.”

One of the reasons why Sri Lankan prisons are overcrowded, in which some can be up to five times the maximum capacity, is the ridiculous sentencing. Some detainees are given lengthy sentences for less severe offenses in which it could take up to 15 years for cases to conclude. Juan E. Mendez states such is a violation of due process and the presumption of innocence.

News outlets have reached out to the Sri Lankan government. As of now, government officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

[Photo by Eranga Jayawardena/AP Images]