Paul Connaughton
Ceist:172 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's views on the recent Amnesty International report on continuing police torture and ill treatment in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. [6566/03]
Vol. 562 No. 5
172 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's views on the recent Amnesty International report on continuing police torture and ill treatment in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. [6566/03]
On 1 January Amnesty International published a report on continuing allegations of police torture and ill treatment in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The report noted that, despite the adoption of a new criminal procedure in March 2002, which forbids and makes punishable the use of any kind of violence on a detainee, allegations of ill treatment continue to be made. It expressed dissatisfaction at the number of disciplinary proceedings and at the level of sentences imposed on the small number of police officers found guilty of severely ill treating detainees. The Government is concerned at the persistence of allegations of this type and I will arrange to have our concern conveyed to the authorities in Belgrade.