Greece: Alleged torture of asylum-seekers must be investigated

from Amnesty International USA:

Amnesty International is appalled at reports that Greek police officers have subjected a group of Afghan asylum-seekers to interrogation techniques which included the torture of adults and minors alike. In a letter to the Greek Minister of Public Order Giorgos Voulgarakis, the organization calls for a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation of the allegations and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

It has been reported that on 13 December 2004, civilian policemen visited a house in the Agios Panteleimonas area of Athens, where between 40 and 60 Afghan asylum-seekers and refugees were lodging. The police wanted information about an Afghan national who had escaped from court where he had been taken on charges of staying illegally in the country. The police collected all those present in the house, including minors, in one room and allegedly beat them severely torturing some of them. The same sequence of events was repeated in the following days

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