A Pakistani Christian man has been tortured to death by Muslim police in Lahore after he was falsely accused of theft.
Amir Masih was detained by North Cantt police late last month before being taken to an undisclosed location where he was severely tortured in an attempt to force a confession for a crime he did not commit.
The 28-year-old gardener was one of multiple employees who had been investigated for theft, however, according to Sunny Masih, the victim’s brother, police released all but Amir after discovering he was a poor Christian.
Amir, who had only 14-days earlier welcomed his second son into the world, was reportedly subjected to four days of torture during which interrogating officers urinated on his face while mocking his Christian faith.
Amir’s injuries were so severe that police were forced to drive him to a private hospital.
CCTV obtained from outside the medical facility shows police kicking Amir as he falls to the ground before dragging him inside.
An hour later, the video shows Amir being taken out of the hospital in a wheelchair and placed into a car. Amir was then driven back to the police station. Police then reportedly called Amir’s family, informing them that he was not well and that they should take him to a hospital.
Speaking to Morning Star News, Sunny said, family members then rushed a semi-conscious, beaten and bruised Amir to a nearby hospital.
According to Sunny, Amir said an inspector and for other constables had tortured him continuously for four days.
“He told us that the police officials had urinated on him while cursing him for being a Christian and tried to force him to confess to the crime.
“But my brother was innocent, and he refused to admit to something that he had not done, which further infuriated his interrogators.
“They increased the intensity of the violence, also subjecting him to electric shocks,” Sunny said.
Once reaching the hospital, medical staff attempted to save Amir’s life but he succumbed to his injuries hour later.
A postmortem confirmed the severity of the torture which police carried out on his hands, back and arms, which also left him with broken ribs.
According to the Barnabas Fund: “Days later, on 8 September, the Governor of Lahore, Muhammad Sarwar, visited Amir Masih’s home and offered condolences to his bereaved family. He said the policemen involved in torture were criminals and would be treated accordingly. Six police officers are currently under investigation over the allegations.”
