2 weeks ago
Rights group demands criminal probe into Pakistani police custody deaths
Two women, a woman and her 17-year-old sister-in-law, died while in police custody in Pakistan.
Police said someone told them the woman had taken gold and cash from a man's house.
The women were arrested and taken to two different police stations.
Police say their health got worse just hours after they arrived.
One woman died at the police station, and the other died after being taken to a hospital.
Their families say the women's clothes were torn and their bodies had marks that looked like torture.
Police say the two may have used drugs and overdosed.
A group called Human Rights Watch is asking Pakistan to investigate what really happened.
The group wants the investigation to be fair, independent, and open so that the truth comes out.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged a prompt, independent and transparent criminal probe into the August 5 deaths of sisters-in-law Anmol and Amina in police custody in Punjab province, Pakistan.
Police said they registered a First Information Report after residents handed over the women, who were accused of taking gold ornaments and cash from a man's house.
Families say the bodies had torn clothes and marks of torture and that police offered them money for silence; police deny this and claim initial inquiries suggested the two were chronic drug users who may have overdosed.
Autopsies, delayed by nearly two days, recorded cardiac arrest without identifying an actual cause of death, and medical evidence was sent to a forensic laboratory for analysis.
HRW noted the 2022 anti-torture law is poorly enforced, with only 52 of 364 nationwide inquiries becoming formal criminal cases as of April 30.
- Who
- Sisters-in-law Anmol (a woman) and Amina (a 17-year-old girl), who died in police custody; Human Rights Watch, which is demanding an investigation; and Lahore police, who deny allegations of abuse.
- What
- Human Rights Watch demanded a criminal investigation into the deaths of the two women while in police custody.
- Where
- Punjab province, Pakistan — at the Lytton Road and Township police stations in Lahore and a hospital.
- When
- The deaths occurred on August 5; the police complaint was filed on August 4 and the bodies were handed over to families on August 6.
- Why
- HRW says the deaths highlight longstanding concerns about torture and ill-treatment in police custody, especially of women, and the persistent failure to hold police accountable despite a 2022 law.
Families and rights group
Lahore police
Treatment in custody
Families and rights group
Families say the bodies had torn clothes and marks of torture, and that police offered them money to remain silent.
Lahore police
Police deny the allegations and say initial inquiry reports suggested the two women were chronic drug users who may have overdosed.
What happened after arrest
Families and rights group
Families dispute the police account, saying they were told the women had been sent to jail and to arrange for bail when they went to the Township police station.
Lahore police
Police say they registered an FIR and that the health of the women deteriorated within hours of their transfer to the police stations.
Key facts
- Advocacy group
- Human Rights Watch (HRW)
- Deceased
- Anmol and Amina, sisters-in-law (a woman and a 17-year-old girl)
- Location
- Punjab province, Pakistan (Lahore)
- Date of deaths
- August 5
- Police complaint
- August 4, alleging theft of gold ornaments and cash
- Police stations involved
- Lytton Road and Township, Lahore
- Autopsy result
- Cardiac arrest; actual cause not given; evidence sent to forensic laboratory
- 2022 law enforcement
- 364 inquiries registered nationwide; only 52 became formal criminal cases (as of April 30)
Quotes
Human Rights Watch
International human rights NGO
“Unnecessary delays in examining a body after a death in custody, particularly if attributed in part to the same department whose officers are implicated, indicate a failure of the duty to investigate.”
thehansindia.com
“The authorities in Lahore have obligations under Pakistani and international law to promptly and impartially investigate the deaths of a woman and girl in police custody.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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