In Ali Khan’s case torture was used not only as a tactic of coercion, it was used to silence witnesses who would testify on his behalf. Their testimony would have placed him 45 minutes away from the murder he is accused of at the time the murder was committed.
At the time Ali was ambushed by police detectives, he was with two friends who had been with him the entire night. The Seoul PD, acting on one man’s accusation (a man who later confessed to the crime and exonerated Ali of all guilt in that confession), forcibly handcuffed Ali and his friends and took them in for questioning.
The following account of torture & police manipulation is in Ali’s own words.
- “Before I even entered the police van, a detective struck me hard on the head with a truncheon despite the fact that I was cooperating. I didn’t speak any Korean, and Asfandyar and Shahid spoke very little. The detectives spoke only Korean. Once I was in the police van, I asked Sammy [the accuser] what was going on, but was immediately struck on the head by the police officer.”
“I was ordered not to speak, again. Asfandyar also received a sharp blow to the head for no other apparent reason except to instill fear into us. Up to this point, Asfandyar, Shahid, and myself thought that this was an immigration matter and had no other idea of what was going on.“
“At the police station, the police removed the handcuffs from Asfandyar and Shahid, but Sammy and I remained handcuffed. We were in the same room, but ordered not to speak. If we spoke, they struck us. I was then taken to an interrogation room alone. They asked me questions only in Korean. I told them that I don’t understand Korean. No translator was present. They beat me for awhile with their fists and feet. They also placed a broom handle behind my knees, made me kneel on the floor, and then jumped on the broomstick. The pain was terrible. I also had difficulty breathing because of a severe blow one officer game me to my solar plexus. They kept asking me which pair of pants belonged to me. I told them, “they are not mine”, which only seemed to infuriate them more. They were screaming and yelling the whole time. I pleaded for a translator.“
“Meanwhile they left me once in awhile to torture Sammy as well in a separate room. When I saw Sammy later, he was unable to walk.”
After Sammy’s statement implicating Ali:
- “When my turn came [to make a statement] the police typed a few basic lines and then began questioning me. I denied any involvement, so the policeman refused to type. This went on for awhile until the police got angry at my repeated denials. The police took me the interrogation room without a translator and resumed torturing me with punches and kicks to my head and body as well as the broomstick behind the knees technique I mentioned earlier.”
“In a semi-conscious state, I kept asking the police why they don’t ask Asfandyar about my whereabouts. So after awhile the police brought Asfandyar into the same room as me. He was also handcuffed behind his back. Unlike me, Asfandyar at the time spoke rudimentary Korean. Asfandyar told the police that I was with him the previous night and therefore it was impossible for me to have been involved in any crime up in Ilsan. The police got upset at Asfandyar and called him a liar. The police then proceeded to torture Asfandyar with a broomstick behind the knees as well as several blows to his body. A crying Asfandyar, who was visibly in pain, told me that the police instructed him to say that I approached him earlier to request a false alibi regarding my whereabouts at the time of the crime. The police also told Asfandyar that he would go to prison if he didn’t agree to this.”
“Anytime I spoke or tried to ask Asfandyar or anyone else a question, the police would hit me. My entire lower body was numb. I was falling in and out of an unconscious state.”
This is but a small excerpt of the injustice done to Ali, and the abuse he was subjected to. The events in and of themselves are horrifying, but coupled with the fact that Ali had no outlet, no one to speak for him, no translator, no one willing hear his story. By the words of one man, his life had gone from that of a carefree albeit naïve 22 year old to a dark hole he wasn’t sure he’d survive.
Please post comments of inquiry or support for Ali. Your continuing concern and compassion are always appreciated as he waits and hopes for a second chance.
I also encourage anyone to sign up for our mailing list using the link to the right, and please read and link to our bulletin asking for you help to find two men who may have a videotape that would show Ali on the night of the murder no where near Ilsan.
Ali and all of us who support him, thank you for taking time to read and comment.
16 comments:
In light of the confession of the actual guilty party, it does seem to warrant reopening the case and releasing Ali. Justice won't be truly done until then.
That's a shame that such a thing has happened in such a great, developed country. I wish you guys luck in your quest to free your friend.
There is justice in this world. Sometimes it comes swiftly. Sometimes it takes the hot lights of thousands of eyes watching for years to emerge. Hopefully it will come for Ali. The more eyes, the better. The hotter they burn, the better.
I always thought the South Korean people were above the western world in their treatment of people. Their constitution states they will destroy all injustices. The torture and imprisonment of Ali goes against South Korean ideology. Free Ali!
America bashing aside, this is just plain wrong. Wherever you live, injustices like the jailing and torture of innocent human beings must be fought. Ali, like all other human beings, deserves his freedom, a fair trial, and justice in then end.
I Hope you can be called a free man someday.
Let's pray and hope.
Greetings to you and your supportive friends.
Everyone should be entitled to a fair trial as a basic human right. Free Ali!
Ali's story needs to be heard by the world. Contact CNN and have them get onto it. Ali should not only be freed he should be compensated for the years he has wrongly spent imprisoned here in Korea. As a long time expat I would never want to get on the wrong side of the law here.
Korea should be ashamed. Free Ali!
This case must be reopened by any means possible. Obviously, the fact that torture played a role in the interrogations should be enough for any just, fair legal system to reconsider the validity of Ali's imprisonment. I couldn't believe I was reading about an incident that happened in South Korea--Ali's description of his interrogation makes me think of the methods that would be used in the North Korean gulags.
Obviously the case should be reopened. Maybe now that attention is being brought to the case and Ali's situation justice will be given a chance. The world is too small for us to knowingly let these things pass.
For a country that earnestly longs to be considered among the world's developed democracies, South Korea - in this instance at least - seems to have neglected one of its most pressing obligations: to uphold human rights. Let's hope the effort to free Ali results in a sincere and thorough investigation - the very least the circumstances warrant.
No one has any right to harm or take anyone else's life. Live and let live. Peace to you and all beings.
the main fault lies in language problem besides Ali's case to be solved. I also have a suggesstion for the Korean police/Govt. that there should be special section in every Govt. department for the foriegners where all the officials should be English speaker. Because this language barrier causes a lot of problems for the Foriegners in Korea.
This is disgusting. I 've been through this painful process of unsupported and unhelpful litigation system of Korea and can feel your pain Ali. I was doing my PhD there a few years back and I was arrested from my house right in front of my wife and two kids for possessing Mariana which I denied. The Police did not even allow me to inform my Professor. They freed me next morning but I still remember the silly interrogation and insulting behavior of the police toward a foreigner.
While you are in pain Ali, let me show you the silver lining in your case. Now you have time to repent. Ask forgiveness from Allah (SWT) and think about your values and responsibilities first as human being and then as Muslim.
I wish you all the best and pray for your freedom. May Allah help you and all other innocent people all over the world.
Anonymous
To issue one-sided verdict without listening to the foreigner accused who cannot even make out what is being discussed about him, is an inhumanly act. Torturing leaves no difference between investigators and beasts. I appeal human rights' organizations to immediately intervene and look into the matter.
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