ALLEGED POLICE ILL-TREATMENT OF NON-POLITICAL DETAINEES IN THE BASQUECOUNTRY (SPAIN) - PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS

Epidemiological studies of ill-treatment and torture are difficult to carry out and are usually based on people arrested for political motiv es. The object of this prospective study was to document the prevalenc e of allegations of ill-treatment/torture in a sample of detainees who were arrested for non-political motives in the Basque Country (Spain) . The influence of demographic and criminological Variables was evalua ted. A total of 837 interviews and medical-forensic examinations of 57 8 detainees were analyzed with a modified version of the protocol esta blished by the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (IRCT/RCT). Alleged ill-treatment occurred with a frequency of 13.3% i n 99 subjects, with few cases being considered as torture in the stric t sense. The most frequent methods included: coercion (6.8%), deprivat ion (6.0%) and physical ill-treatment (4.3%). The variables significan tly associated with ill-treatment were national/ethnic identity and th e type of offence committed by the detainee. A higher frequency of ill -treatment, together with longer periods of detention were observed am ong foreign detainees. The results contrast with those reported in a s tudy of political detainees in the same region, in which complex and i ntensive torture methods were reported to be more habitual. In conclus ion, this study underlines the importance of further developing preven tative methods in order to reduce the occurrence of violations of huma n rights during periods of detention. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Irelan d Ltd.