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Qatar OFWs bound, burned, beaten into confessing crime

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Department of Foreign Affairs building. 蜜桃工作室 FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines鈥揟hree Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) convicted of espionage in Qatar back in April 2014 had been bound, burned and beaten to force them to confess to the charges, an international human rights group said.

Amnesty International (AI) questioned the verdict of a lower court in Qatar last April 30, 2014, after they have received information that one of them was 鈥渞epeatedly tortured鈥 to make him confess to the allegations.

The 48-year-old OFW, identified as 鈥淩onaldo,鈥 was working as a civilian technician at the Qatar Air Force Base when he was arrested in Doha in April 2010 for allegedly selling confidential information. Ronaldo and another were sentenced to life imprisonment while the other one was sentenced to death.

BACKSTORY: Filipino meted out death in Qatar for espionage

鈥(Ronaldo) endured repeated bouts of physical and psychological torture and other ill-treatment for the first eight months of his detention in the state security prison,鈥 AI said in a statement.

鈥淒uring two interrogation sessions he was burned with cigarettes on his back and legs, stripped naked and forced to crawl around on the floor until his knees bled, and was frequently punched and slapped,鈥 it said.

Ronaldo was made to spend four years in solitary confinement and was only allowed out of his cell two or three times a week for 15 minutes at a time. He was also not permitted to go outdoors, AI said.

鈥淒uring his time in detention he was also held for prolonged periods with his hands bound behind his back and deprived of sleep by guards who taunted him with claims that his family were dead,鈥 it said.

Ronaldo was forced to sign a written 鈥渃onfession鈥 which was in Arabic, despite him being unable to read it. This was later presented to court but he testified he was only forced to sign it after being tortured.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) previously issued a categorical denial that the Philippine government was spying on Qatar. DFA Spokesman Charles Jose assured that legal assistance will be provided to the OFWs.

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鈥淕iven the fact that (Ronaldo) was held in solitary confinement for four years prior to his trial, his allegation that he was repeatedly tortured in order to force him to 鈥榗onfess鈥, and the use of this 鈥榗onfession鈥 in his trial, his conviction is clearly unsafe,鈥 Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director of AI鈥檚 Middle East and North Africa Programme, said in the statement.

鈥淲e are concerned that unless the allegations of torture of (Ronaldo) and the two other (Filipino) men are independently and impartially investigated, the current appeal will also be fundamentally unfair,鈥 he said.

The appeal for Ronaldo鈥檚 case was held on March 9, 2015. AI said it has raised the torture claims before the Qatar government twice already but has not gotten a response.

鈥淒espite the Qatari government鈥檚 eagerness to project a global image of a wealthy glamorous nation committed to respecting human rights, this case has brought to light a more sinister side to the Gulf state that the international community can no longer continue to ignore,鈥 Boumedouha said.

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鈥淚f the Qatari authorities want to prove they are serious about having a transparent judicial system and tackling human rights violations, then instead of turning a blind eye to this case they must immediately announce a full investigation into torture allegations and review the way the lower court trial was conducted,鈥 Boumedouha added.

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