The Philippine Online Chronicles

Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were accused of torturing a Muslim man who was arrested by soldiers in Basilan last week, a Mindanao Examiner report said.

Army rangers allegedly tortured Abdul Khan Ajid to force him to admit that he is a member of the militant group Abu Sayyaf. The victim’s sister, Haniba Mussaddam also alleged that military interrogators “poured gasoline on the man’s face and body and private parts and lit him up,” the same report said.

Ajid, 39, remains in jail despite the third degree burns he suffered from the torture, his family said.

“We need immediate help to save the life of my brother whose condition is now critical due to his burns. We need to bring him to the hospital. We are appealing to President Aquino to help my brother and give us justice,” Musaddam said.

Meanwhile the military ordered on Friday an investigation into the alleged torture, saying anybody involved in the torture regardless of their rank or position will be dealth severely if found guilty.

“I have ordered the Western Mindanao Command human rights officers to submit a report of their investigation in three days,” said Army Colonel Domingo Tutaan, Human Rights Office head of the AFP.

The Commission on Human Rights in Zamboanga City said it is also investigating the alleged torture. The agency said it will send a team on Saturday to Basilan to look into the condition of Ajid.

The report said Ajid was arrested on July 23 by military troops in his house in the village of Libug in Sumisip town. He was detained at an army base in Isabela City where he was allegedly tortured for four days.

Ajid was handed over to prison officials after his family filed a petition to a local court for a writ of amparo. His family denied all accusations against him, saying the soldiers had mistaken Ajid for another person on the wanted list.

Early this year, the military was tagged in a torture video posted on Facebook which shows military men repeatedly punching and kicking at least three people in civilian clothes.

The AFP also ordered an investigation regarding the torture, although results of the probe have yet to be announced.