#84 Abdul Badeeu Abdul Samad

Age:

Profile:

Allegations of maltreatment:

Date of Arrest:

Status:  Detainee released from detention on 24 August 2004 after 42 days in detention, but forbidden to leave the city without permission. Detainee was warned that charges may be brought against him.

Charge:

Update 25 September 2004 (43rd day of detention)

Detainee released on 24 August 2004 reported that on 13 August 2004 at around 9:30 pm the detainee was halted on the street by 5 policemen. The policemen told the detainee that his was a familiar face which had been spotted at the Republic Square on 13 August 2004. The detainee agreed that he had been at the Republic Square and asked the police whether everyone who had been there had to be arrested. Detainee told the police that it was only 9:35 pm and the curfew had begun at 9:00 pm and that he was on his way home after closing the pharmacy (Protect Pharmacy) where he worked. The police handcuffed detainee to the front and told him that the police would beat him up if he tried to resist. The police pushed the detainee into the back of a police van and drove off. The police swore at the detainee, screaming that detainee was trying to bring Fareed #13 to power, that detainee had been amongst those who had walked the streets of Male' shouting “Allah Akbar” (God is Great) [Faree's demonstration of 11 August]. The police started shouting “Allah Akbar” in mocking tones at detainee beating him with empty plastic bottles and batons during which detainee sustained injuries to his head. The police dared detainee to shout “Allah Akbar” and threatened to drown detainee. The police van stopped in front of the National Security Services headquarters. Around 20 policemen were there. The police shouted that detainee had been spotted at the pro-democracy public debates and that detainee was an MDP (Maldives Democratic Party) activist. The police then blindfolded detainee and handcuffed him behind his back. The police mocked that President Gayyoom never intended to allow political parties in the Maldives and his June 9 speech was just a ploy to identify MDP activists. The police also kept shouting that the police would make certain there never were political parties in the Maldives . The police kept beating detainee with their fists and boots throughout their screams so that detainee became very dizzy and disoriented. When the police hit him on his genitals detainee thought he was going to die. When detainee protested the police told him that the police had been commissioned to do it. Detainee was dragged by his upper arms and left in a hallway filled with people who were crying and shouting. Detainee could make out around 200 people through the blindfold but later detainee could not make out anything when the police inserted cotton balls inside the blindfold. Some of the detained were shouting for Trade Minister Yameen Hameed and Atolls Minister Abdullah Hameed saying that the ministers should come to save them since those detainees had done the ministers' bidding by going to the demonstration to support the government. At around 11:30 pm, according to the conversations of the police, detainee's details were taken down. Life jackets were put on detainee but hands and feet were cuffed and detainee was still blindfolded. Detainee realized he was being transported somewhere else and asked to be taken to a toilet. On the way to the toilet detainee was slow to proceed because of blindfold and handcuffs so the police shouted at detainee that he would be dragged by his genitals if he did not hurry up. Detainee was not given water to clean himself saying that animals did not need to get cleaned. Once outside, detainee heard police shouting whether cattle were being herded out. Detainee was left inside a boat which soon moved off towards some unknown destination. About 2 detainees wanted to pass urine and detainee heard the police dangling those detainees' feet in the ocean and threatening to drown them. Detainee was taken to Girifushi Military Training Camp as detainee later found out. He was kept outside still blindfolded and handcuffed. When it started raining detainee was taken up onto a stage type place which was not a proper shelter and did not protect detainee from the rain and wind. Later, detainee was taken inside another place where he was told to lie down on the floor. At around 9:30 am on 14 August 2004 detainee's blindfold was taken off and he realized where he was and that the room he was in was the No. 2 classroom at the Girifushi Training Camp. Detainee counted 45 people in the room with him. They were all kept in handcuffs. Sometimes their feet were cuffed during meals and their hands uncuffed. Detainees could not clean themselves for 3 days. Then they were taken to the sea and given 5 minutes to clean themselves in the sea. Afterwards they were given a bucket of fresh water to pour over themselves. On the 4th day detainee was taken to a building in the middle of the island where police in civilian clothes informed detainee why he had been arrested and told detainee to sign a statement which detainee refused to sign saying that detainee would only sign his own statement. At the interrogation, detainee was asked if he had attended an unlawful gathering at Republic Square. Detainee told the police that detainee had gone there but that it was not an unlawful gathering. One day detainee had been to the toilet to which detainee had to go in a queue, when detainee noticed a group of children in handcuffs being kept in a space between classroom 2 and 3. There was one child who looked around 10 or 11 years of age. Another detainee told detainee that these children were being drilled by the police to give similar statements when they were asked to do so at their interrogation. After 4 days the interrogations began. On 21 August 2004 (Lady) Ibrahim Manik [police officer] met with detainees and informed them to proceed in an orderly manner to the vessels which took the “senior detainees”, as the police called them, to Dhoonidhoo Detention Centre and the detainee and some others to Maafushi Prison. At Maafushi Prison detainee was kept for 24 hours in solitary confinement in a “kuda golhi” (tiny cell) usually reserved for punishments. A minor was also in such a cell as detainee found out by shouting to other detainees. The minor did not eat anything that night because of a headache but no one checked on him. Detainee and others had to shout until the guards came to check on the minor, who was found to be sleeping. On the next day detainee was shifted to a cell with 3 other detainees. One day people from the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives and 2 Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital doctors came to meet detainees and detainee and others with him told them everything. On 24 August 2004 detainee was taken to Male' and then released.

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