Rabat, Sept 24, 2012 (SPS) - The UN Special Rapporteur on torture Juan Mendeznd other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, who visited on 15-22 Sept 2012 Morocco and occupied Western Sahara, said Saturday in Rabat that he had received "credible reports about excessive physical and mental pressure on detainees during interrogation."
"Although cruel practices persists in ordinary criminal cases, it should not be surprising that acts amounting to torture are committed during especially intense events, such as major demonstrations, perceived as a threat to national security or terrorism," Mendez told a news conference following his visit to Morocco and Western Sahara.
United Nations official added that in such occasions "we can notice an increase in acts of torture and ill-treatment during arrest and detention."
He therefore expressed "regrets" that his meetings with civil society members were "monitored by the authorities and the media, and that his arrival was scanned by cameras everywhere," creating an atmosphere of intimidation felt by a number of people he met during the visit. (SPS)
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