/ 21 March 1999

LAWYERS DENIED ‘GUNRUNNERS’ MEDICAL REPORTS

LAWYERS representing three Americans suspected of being mercenaries have said they were denied access to medical reports that might show their clients were tortured, a Sunday paper reported. The Standard quoted a statement released to it by the lawyer, Jeremy Callow, saying he had been unable to gain access to the reports by two government doctors, copies of which have apparently been made available to a local state-owned daily newspaper. The Herald on Friday ran a story based on the reports and claimed the three had not been tortured. Callow, however, said an independent doctor who examined the Americans 10 days after the alleged torture had noted bruising consistent with assault.