arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

We have been arrested (about 10 persons, 7 french, 3 belgium) in front of the charle's bridge in Prague, the next day of the demonstration. We walked peacefully, when 4 policemen picked us and trapped us in the first police station. Two of us have been beaten : One because he was black, the other because he didn't answer in the way they wanted. This second victim didn't receive any medical assistance for his injuries in the eye. We stayed there for 12hours, received only a piece of bred and if we wanted to eat more, we had to pay the policemen. We've never been informed of our rights, we've never had our right to give a phone call. After our deposition, we have been transfered to the stranger's office where some "ROBOCOPS" were waiting for us. They were more aggresive, using the only two fonctions they hadden :"to Watch and to punish". So, after a lot of intimidations and moral pressures (we had to stay in a small corridor( 70 persons) of 30 square meter), they pushed us out. We had 48 hours to get out of the country. Outside the arrestations continued, the all city was controled by the police.We took the train after they controled us two more times.

Updated 30 September 2000 - 1800hours
The following information is from 88 surveys received from people released from jail on Thursday and Friday (also early saturday morning)...

82.5 % of the information in this survey came from men

96% surveyed were not read their rights in prision

62% surveyed were beaten of those beaten,69 % were beaten in the prision

77% surveyed were restrained

70% surveyed were interrogated

45% surveyed were strip searched

96% surveyed were not allowed phone calls

51% surveyed were not allowed translation

21% surveyed were not allowed any water

43% surveyed were not allowed food
of those not allowed food, some paid gaurds for food

69% surveyed were not allowed sleep

PRISONERS REPORTS
Many prisoners where denied use of toilets, to a telephone call or a lawyer.
Two seventeen year old girls where denied phone calls to their parents and another kept isolated.
Prisoners were left without jackets or blankets all night, some outside, others handcuffed to the bars for falling asleep. Reports of being kept awake for 30 hours.
Epileptics denied medical attention, one woman given pills that made her sick.
Very severe beatings, reports of having faces repeatedly bashed against walls, being punched in face and stomach, kicked and beaten while handcuffed on the floor , others beaten with truncheons and metal poles.
Some beatings continued for more than half an hour at a time and other prisoners were forced to watch or listen.
Hands cuffed behind back for periods up to twelve hours, some so tight that prisoners wrists bled.
Many reports of broken bones; arms, fingers, noses and ribs, mostly ignored and medical attention denied in many cases. Police beating handcuffed prisoners randomly in bus.
One prisoner who had been badly beaten was transported in the boot of the van.
Prisoners forced to crawl on their hands and knees.
Report of being stripped, severely beaten, taken to an outside yard where their where people lying unconscious, and then told to dance to music.
Skinheadsî were brought into cells and allowed to beat the prisoners.