Traumatic memories of the night he was beaten by police

FIJI – One of the three Fijian men caught allegedly cultivating marijuana by a team of police and military officers in 2009 says he still does not understand why they were tortured.

Jim Kusi, a resident of Sigatoka, claimed he still had trouble sleeping because of the trauma invoked by the combined police and military squad.

“I had already admitted to them that we were looking after the farm and we were all prepared to go and face court over any charges but what they did to us that evening is something I will never forget,” the 47-year-old shared.

“I was expecting to get a beating because of what we were doing, but what I did not expect was for one of the police officers to pour the boiling water from the kettle over my body.

Kusi alleged he and the other two victims were tied up like animals as the beating continued.

“One of the men used a burning ember to burn off my long hair while the others laughed. After that they tied our hands together and made us walk for six hours to a village.

“We were taken to hospital and kept isolated from other patients. While I was in hospital, a man came to me with some papers.

“He said they had the right to kill me because I was growing drugs.

“He forced me to sign some papers and then I never saw him again,” he claimed.

Kusi spent a few weeks in hospital recovering from severe burns, cuts to his back and bruising all over his body before being released.

He now stays at home and looks after his four young children.

- Fiji Times