The Head of Public Prosecution’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU), Nawaf Abdulla Hamza, stated that the SIU has received 14 complaints last month regarding maltreatment and is currently investigating in all 14 cases.
He explained that, in compliance with the SIU’s policy of verification of annals and allegations whether in complaints received, published through audio-visual, written or social media, the SIU monitored on electronic websites a video footage of a purportedly accused person whilst he was admitting to his partaking in acts of rioting and sabotage.
The SIU immediately began investigation into the incident and found out that a policeman made that video recording on his own initiative and posted it on electronic websites. The policeman was interrogated, detained and referred to the Grand Criminal Court which charged him with committing a crime by inflicting severe physical injury and moral harm to someone he was detaining under his control for the purpose of obtaining confessions from him and also charged him with the felony of publishing images of an accused person before issuance of a court verdict and without permission from the Public Prosecution. The case has been set for consideration by the competent court on the session on July 22nd.
On the other hand, the SIU has finalized last month’s its investigations in various cases, heard the testimonies of twenty-three victims, eight witnesses and interrogated nineteen accused persons and ordered the referral of five victims to forensic medical examination and one victim to psychiatric medic, according to the requirement of investigations.
The SIU has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ombudsman’s Office regarding dealing with complaints pertaining to allegations of torture, harsh, derogatory and inhumane treatment for the purpose of facilitating procedures for lodging complaints and spreading trust in victims in order to ensure effective and productive investigations and also to exchange information with the purpose of safeguarding evidences aloof from any probable influences or intervention in specialization.