A man alleging military brutality says he was unable to identify those who assaulted him during a night of detention at Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Nabua, Suva on April 16.
Kelepi Komaisavou, one of five men detained on the night, said the conditions under which he was held made it nearly impossible to see the faces of those involved.
“I wasn’t able to identify most of them because I was down on the ground and it was dark,” he said.
Mr Komaisavou claimed he was forced to remain face-down while being assaulted, limiting any chance of recognising his attackers.
“They would assault me even at the slightest sight of a gap between my whole body and the ground.”
He further alleged that threats accompanied the violence.
“I was beaten to the point they threatened me that they would kill me.”
Despite the difficulty in identifying individuals, Mr Komaisavou claimed a personnel who appeared to be “senior” in rank was present during the ordeal.
“He was asking the other soldiers if I had said anything, and if I didn’t, to continue with torture.”
One of the five detained was Jone Vakarisi Jr, 36, whose death while in custody has been classified as murder and presently under investigation by police.
The police has said it recorded statements from several individuals regarding the death of Mr Vakarisi.
It said in a statement last week that no one has been taken into custody.
In the meantime, police and the military have escalated joint drug operations, with raids and the questioning of drug suspects.
