A MAN detained by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces last week has alleged he could hear fellow detainees, including the late Jone Vakarisi Jr, crying out for help while being beaten inside the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Nabua, Suva.
Kelepi Komaisavou said the men were about 40 metres away, but their voices carried clearly as the cries for mercy continued late on Thursday and into the early hours of Friday morning.
“When I was going through my ordeal, I could still hear my brothers screaming and crying out for help,” he said.
“It was late at night, and I could still hear their voices crying out for mercy and to stop.”
Mr Komaisavou said he and three others had earlier been detained after returning from their “community farm” in Sawani, Naitasiri, when soldiers allegedly approached them and ordered them into a vehicle.
He said their attempts to question the reason for their detention were ignored.
According to his account, he was later separated at the barracks and questioned about an alleged attempted break-in at the armoury, which he denied any knowledge of.
“Who in the right mind would want to do that?”
He alleges he was forced to strip to his undergarments and subjected to sustained physical abuse during interrogation.
“They kept accusing me even when I said I did not know anything about what they were asking me.”
Mr Komaisavou claims he lost consciousness multiple times.
The incident has drawn scrutiny following reports that the alleged abuse caused the death of Mr Vakarisi.
The military has yet to publicly respond in detail to the allegations while police said investigation into the death was ongoing.
No one has been taken into custody as a suspect.
