Pichani Elias John
Eliasi John (28) of Kigamboni Vijibweni is accusing a police officer of Minazini station of injecting a liquid suspected to be acidic into his eyes causing him permanent blindness.
The incident took place on January 18th, last year, according to John who narrated the ordeal at the Legal Aid Clinic in Dar es Salaam operating under the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) where he had gone to seek assistance.
On the mentioned date, John said he had gone to visit his sister-in-law, one Aziza Momba, but found she was out of her house.
“I decided to rest at a local drinking pub where they sell Kibuku and Mnazi, but before I knew what was happening, policemen had surrounded us, telling us we were under arrest. They took seven of us to the Kilwa Road Police Station, but a few minutes later they took me to Minazini Police Station near the Episcopal Centre. Upon arrival, a policeman called Onesmo handcuffed me and tied my feet before he left the room. A few minutes later, another policeman called James came in with a syringe full of acid water which he injected into my eyes,” he alleged.
According to John, he felt dizzy and all of a sudden it was all dark; he could not see anything.
He said they then untied him and took him back to Kilwa Road Police Station where they opened charges of robbery, injuring, and breaking and stealing against him, which he claimed were mere fabrications.
“On February 19, last year, they took me to the Temeke District Court where I complained about the acid water incident, but no one paid attention to me. I was taken to Keko remand prison and the following morning they took me to Temeke District Hospital for treatment,” said John.
He said doctors at the hospital said his eyes had been destroyed and referred him to Muhimbili National Hospital where he was admitted.
“They removed all my eyes because they were incurable and I was sent back to Keko. I was released on July 27, 2010 after being found not guilty by the court.
Asked whether he had problems with James, John said the latter had on numerous occasions accused him of having an affair with his wife and had always threatened to teach him an unforgettable lesson.
Asked whether he knew who James’s wife was, John said he had no idea.
“I wish he had killed me instead of what he has done to me. I am now very poor and I don’t know what to do but to seek legal help to enable me receive a fair compensation for the ordeal I went through,” he said.
In an immediate rejoinder yesterday, Temeke Regional Police Commander David Misime admitted being aware of the issue saying: “I am aware of the story. We have already received a letter of inquiry from the Commission of Human Rights and Good Governance and responded to it,” he said.
He however declined to comment further, advising the reporter to write or to go in person to his office to seek more details over the matter.
“You should come to our office in case you need any clarifications on the issue,” he said.
Commenting on the issue, a legal officer who has been handling the issue Advocate Edina Lushaka said she had ordered him to bring the case file for their perusal.
“We have written a letter to the Temeke District Court to seek the judgement papers. We want to see how we can assist him,” said Advocate Lushaka.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN 11/03/2011 :: IPPMEDIA
Indaba blog is rural based online news for rural and urban community!!
Adverts
Mar 11, 2011
Polisi yadaiwa kufanya ukatili wa kutisha
Pichani Elias John
Eliasi John (28) of Kigamboni Vijibweni is accusing a police officer of Minazini station of injecting a liquid suspected to be acidic into his eyes causing him permanent blindness.
The incident took place on January 18th, last year, according to John who narrated the ordeal at the Legal Aid Clinic in Dar es Salaam operating under the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) where he had gone to seek assistance.
On the mentioned date, John said he had gone to visit his sister-in-law, one Aziza Momba, but found she was out of her house.
“I decided to rest at a local drinking pub where they sell Kibuku and Mnazi, but before I knew what was happening, policemen had surrounded us, telling us we were under arrest. They took seven of us to the Kilwa Road Police Station, but a few minutes later they took me to Minazini Police Station near the Episcopal Centre. Upon arrival, a policeman called Onesmo handcuffed me and tied my feet before he left the room. A few minutes later, another policeman called James came in with a syringe full of acid water which he injected into my eyes,” he alleged.
According to John, he felt dizzy and all of a sudden it was all dark; he could not see anything.
He said they then untied him and took him back to Kilwa Road Police Station where they opened charges of robbery, injuring, and breaking and stealing against him, which he claimed were mere fabrications.
“On February 19, last year, they took me to the Temeke District Court where I complained about the acid water incident, but no one paid attention to me. I was taken to Keko remand prison and the following morning they took me to Temeke District Hospital for treatment,” said John.
He said doctors at the hospital said his eyes had been destroyed and referred him to Muhimbili National Hospital where he was admitted.
“They removed all my eyes because they were incurable and I was sent back to Keko. I was released on July 27, 2010 after being found not guilty by the court.
Asked whether he had problems with James, John said the latter had on numerous occasions accused him of having an affair with his wife and had always threatened to teach him an unforgettable lesson.
Asked whether he knew who James’s wife was, John said he had no idea.
“I wish he had killed me instead of what he has done to me. I am now very poor and I don’t know what to do but to seek legal help to enable me receive a fair compensation for the ordeal I went through,” he said.
In an immediate rejoinder yesterday, Temeke Regional Police Commander David Misime admitted being aware of the issue saying: “I am aware of the story. We have already received a letter of inquiry from the Commission of Human Rights and Good Governance and responded to it,” he said.
He however declined to comment further, advising the reporter to write or to go in person to his office to seek more details over the matter.
“You should come to our office in case you need any clarifications on the issue,” he said.
Commenting on the issue, a legal officer who has been handling the issue Advocate Edina Lushaka said she had ordered him to bring the case file for their perusal.
“We have written a letter to the Temeke District Court to seek the judgement papers. We want to see how we can assist him,” said Advocate Lushaka.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN 11/03/2011 :: IPPMEDIA