UN expert says torture still used by Sri Lanka investigators

UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment Juan Mendez, gestures during a media briefing in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, May 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) (The Associated Press)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – A U.N. human rights expert says torture is still being used by Sri Lanka's criminal and terrorism investigators, even though the tactic has decreased since the island nation's decades-long civil war ended seven years ago.

Juan E. Mendez, the United Nations' special rapporteur on torture, made the comment Saturday at the end of a nine-day visit to Sri Lanka. He said he interviewed people who claimed they were tortured while in detention, and that forensic tests showed their testimony was true.

Mendez said torture methods used included asphyxiation using plastic bags drenched in kerosene, hanging of detainees upside down, applying chili power to the face and eyes, and the mutilation of and rubbing of chili paste and onions on genitals.

Government officials could not be immediately contacted for comment.