Torture victims protest against police

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 June 1999, 14:50 GMT]
The International Day in support of Victims of Torture was observed in Batticaloa town with a cultural pageant. Large numbers of Tamil women, most of whom had been tortured by the security forces, participated in the pageant, said TamilNet's Batticaloa correspondent.

The pageant started from the Keerimadu Sithivinayagar Temple and went through several roads and finally reached the Willian Auld hall.

Participants of the pageant carried a masked head, made up of clothes. Upon reaching the police station junction the women tore up the masked head and threw the pieces into the police station.

The police personnel inside the station were stunned.

The International Day aims at the eradication of torture. Another objective of the International Day is to ensure the effective functioning of the 1984 Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. On December 12 1997 the United Nations Assembly proclaimed June 26 as the International Day in support of the Victims of Torture.

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