Victim Report- Anonymous
In seconds, he slapped me on the face and said something to his comrades in Italian. They took me roughly up the steps with my handcuffs into this building. It was not a police station or jail. I do not know what or where it was or why I was taken there. Once inside the door a particularly vicious man proceeded to beat me to my knees with punches and kicks. I was then dragged to a hall with handcuffs where I received further beatings by an individuals normally dressed and in police uniforms. I was driven to the fetal position to the ground to protect my head and groin area and the individual continued to beat me. He would stomp on my entire body, he stomped down with great force and after a few minutes he stopped and left.
In the cell I was brought into, there were two or three individuals where receiving beatings by policemen. Everywhere there was excessive shouting and screaming in Italian by the cabineeri and others and those being beaten. They started shouting in Italian at me, and because I don't speak Italian I did not understand. I then realized that they wanted me to remove my clothes as other prisoners were doing they forced me to strip and made me stand spread eagle against the wall naked. I felt vulnerable and absolutely terrified. The shouting continued except for this time from behind, when I turned my head around they slapped me and indicated that I was to look at the wall by smashing my face against it. The shouting and screaming continued as did blows to my arms. ribs, back and legs and I never knew whether their shouts were directed at me. After a few minutes, I was directed to squat to the ground. They forced me to stand up, squat down, stand up squat down around eleven times. Every-time I squatted down, I had the fear that they placed something under me or inserted into my rectum. Fortunately, nothing was and after a further two or three minutes of standing against the wall I was led to put my clothes back on and was made to put my face against the wall and stand spread eagle.
The next 10 or 11 hours I was made to stand spread eagle except when they took me to take fingerprints, mug shots and a high tech computer scan of my head. I was forced to sign unknown documents without any explanation.
I was taken out of the building and into an adjoining building which was like a warehouse with computers and high tech machinery and professional looking people including women working in the bar. I thought maybe there was some journalists or lawyers or senior police officers who once again would ask me of my innocence, telling them how I was not a violent protester and I was a business professional and the police were beating me.
I was sat down at a table with women in white coats, she asked me if I speak Italian and I said no. I confirmed to her who I was and asked if I could contact my embassy or lawyer. She said I couldn't and asked me sign various documents in Italian. I asked her what did they say and she said that it was not important and it would be "easier" if I signed.
Given my state of mind, I was still hyperventilating, I decided it would be safer to sign. So I did sign this and many other documents. On the computer I saw that there was a file with some sort of information on me such as what countries I had been in, on what holiday and what music, CD's and magazines that I had purchased by credit card over the internet. I became completely overwhelmed thinking that they were going to set me up for some crime. When they looked for further hand prints, I said that I would give them only if I spoke to a lawyer. The policemen who had hit me on the side of my leg, hit me on my head and I collapsed to the ground in great pain. I begged again to see a lawyer the policemen along with two others began to drag me along the floor into another building. I shouted okay, okay, okay I would continue with the process.
This I did and upon completion, I was taken outside and made to wash my hands. Here a different man dressed in a Tie-dyed t-shirt with a beard slapped me across the face and handcuffed my hands just to show me who was boss. He then pulled me back towards the main body of the cell. Upon entering the building I saw the corridor lined with both uniformed and non uniformed people. He dragged me down the corridor and every, if not every, man either kicked me or slapped me. Given the fact that nearly all of them assaulted me I realized that the place was out of control. Shear panic started repeating over and over and over. I started shouting Peace Peace Peace in the hopes that they would realize that I was a normal person and that they would stop beating me.
I think it was around five or six pm and the heat was still intense, at no time were given water or food or allowed to go to the toilet. The state of affairs continued after 1am. The beatings stopped in our cell but continued in others with shouting, and screaming, kicking and laughing. If we let our arms to the side we were shouted at, we had to keep our legs and arms in the spread eagle position and individuals were beaten again. After many hours of this most of us began to spasm, seize, I was physically and mentally shattered. Many started to have hallucinations on the floor or on the wall. At one stage after I arrived home, I broke down and lost all faith in humanity. I was in a living hell in a place in society where those who were the protectors, took the pleasure in brutalizing and giving pain."
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