By this time, it was the second night of my detention. I was taken into the same torture room as the previous day, put in the same chair and strapped into it with the same belt. This time, after being bound in the chair, I was facing two men who were pointing machine guns at me. Another person attached the wires. Again, the questioning began and again I refused to talk. The machine was turned on and I was given three separate shocks from these wires.

In addition, I was beaten with the electric sticks all over my body. The interrogators and torturers were heavy, giant-like people and they looked so fierce staring at me. As they were beating me with the electric shock batons, they also hit me with their fists and kicked me. They also cursed me with very bad words, which for Afghans is even worse than the physical abuse. This made me even more nervous. Again, I lost consciousness. Water was thrown on me and when I came to, I was shaking and talking uncontrollably. Again, there were questions, again I was shocked.

By this time, I was very weak and exhausted and not having eaten anything since I was taken from the university. It was like being in a trance-like sleep but not sleeping. My thoughts swirled around in my head.

The following morning I was given tea and bread for breakfast. No one came into my cell all day.

On the third night, I was taken into the same torture room, put in the same chair, and tortured again. The third session was the worst of the torture sessions. I was given electric shocks until I became unconscious and when I came to I found myself back in the first room. I stayed there until early the following morning when I was taken into an office where there were different people asking the same questions.

Finally, I was taken to a waiting jeep with Khad officials. We started driving and when I recognized that we were along the road to Jalabad, I knew I was being taken to Pul-i-Charki in Kabul.

When we arrived at Pul-i-Charki, the guards opened the gate and the jeep drove inside the compound. I was taken out of the jeep. I was held in this prison for 6 months. In my prepared statement, I give additional details of this imprisonment. Then I was taken back to the Sedarat in Kabul and released.

When I arrived home and knocked on the door, my sister began to cry and ran inside the house. My relatives came out to celebrate that I was back.

After about 15 to 20 days our family arranged to leave the country via Pakistan. Since we were under surveillance, we really had no choice. We arranged to leave in fruit trucks where we hid under crates. The women left first. The men followed. The children were given sleeping pills so as not to make noises at the checkpoints. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Ghulam O. follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF GHULAM O., FROM AFGHANISTAN

My name is Ghulam 0. I am 24 years old and from Kabul, Afghanistan. I studied 3 years, from 1978 to 1980, at the Department of Agriculture of Kabul University. While I was a student there, I worked with the Mujahideen. This involved distribution of underground literature at the university and around Kabul, an activity often carried out evenings and nights.

In March and April 1980 there were student demonstrations

at the university.

One afternoon a few days later, I was called out of the classroom and into the principal's office. Inside the principal's office were 2 or 3 officers for the Khad, the State Information Police. The principal said, "We know you're working with the Mujahideen." At this point one of the Khad officers pulled out a pistol, put it in my back, and told me to walk to a jeep waiting outside.

I was then taken to the Sedarat, the former official residence of the Prime Minister in Kabul, which connects to Khad offices. Inside the Khad building I was interrogated about my activities with the Mujahideen. When I denied being involved, I was hit with an electric shock baton. They tied me with a belt to the chair

and gave me electric shocks with a shock baton several times. They then waited for about another 10 minutes, but I refused to talk. Then they took my shoes off and connected 2 electric wires to my toes and did this to both feet. They then plugged in the cord and pressed a button which started the machine. The last thing I noticed was the needle gauge on the machine was steady at number 60. Then I lost consciousness.

When I came to, the belt was off, but there was a bright light focused on me. Again I was asked to tell about my activities with Mujahideen. Again I refused, and again I was given electric shocks. This time the shocks were so powerful that jumped completely off the floor and became unconscious a second time. When I came to this

time, I was very tired and in great pain. I had difficulty moving.

The next day I was interrogated again and told that I would be given electric shocks again if I did not talk. The Khad officers showed me pictures and asked me to identify those in the photographs. I did not know them. I was brought food, but I could not eat. I was so frightened.

I was

By this time it was the second night of my detention. taken into the same torture room as the previous day, put in the same chair and strapped into it with the same belt. This time after being bound in the chair I was facing 2 men who were pointing machine guns at me. Another person attached the, wires. Again the questioning began, and again I refused to talk. The machine was turned on, and I was given 3 separate shocks from these wires. In addition, I was

beaten with the electric sticks all over my body.

The interrogators and torturers were heavy, giant-like people, and they looked so fierce staring at me. As they were beating me with the electric shock batons, they also hit me with their fists and kicked me. They also cursed me with very bad words, which for Afghans is even worse than the physical abuse. This made me even

more nervous.

Again I lost consciousness. Water was thrown on me,

and when I came to I was shaking and talking uncontrollably. Again there were questions, again I was shocked. By this time I was very weak and exhausted, not having eaten anything since I was taken from the university. It was like being in a trance-like sleep, but not

sleeping. My thoughts swirled around in my head.

The following morning I was given tea and bread for breakfast.

No one came into my cell all day.

On the third night I was taken into the same torture room, put in the same chair and tortured again. The third session was the worst of the torture sessions. I was given electric shocks until I became unconscious, and when I came to I found myself back in the first room. I stayed here until early the following morning when I was taken into an office where there were different people asking the same questions. Finally I was taken to a waiting jeep with Khad officials. We started driving, and when I recognized that we were along the road to Jalabad, I knew I was being taken to Pul-i-Charki in Kabul.

When we arrived at Pul-i-Charki the guards opened the gate and the jeep drove inside the compound. I was taken out of the jeep

Then I was taken to the Sedarat in Kabul and released.

When I arrived home and knocked on the door my sister began to

cry and ran inside the house. My relatives came out to celebrate that

I was back..

After about 15 to 20 days our family arranged to leave the country via Pakistan. Since we were under surveillance, we really had no choice.

The

We arranged to leave in fruit trucks where we hid under crates.
women left first. The men followed. The children were given sleeping
pills so as not to make noises at the checkpoints.

Mr. KOSTMAYER. Thank you very much.

The gentleman from New York? Have any questions?

Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Chairman, how are we going to operate here, under the 5-minute rule?

Mr. KOSTMAYER. Well, we're going to operate with great flexibility, and permit the distinguished gentleman to ask any questions he likes.

Mr. SOLOMON. Well, I'll be glad to yield to the acting chairman, if you want to start first.

Mr. KOSTMAYER. Well I'll be happy to go ahead first, and then if the gentleman from New York has any questions, we'll turn to him. I wanted to ask generally, and whoever would like to respond to this question, feel free, what policies should the United States be pursuing that we are not pursuing now to curb torture or what policies should we be pursuing more vigorously than we are currently?

Ms. LABER. I think the United States should be pursuing a policy that is even-handed with regard to human rights abuses, and especially torture, throughout the world. One of the great problems with our policy is that it is applied selectively to those countries where it suits our foreign policy objectives. That demeans the entire issue, especially the issue of torture. You can't turn your back on torture in Turkey, and recognize torture in the U.S.S.R., and then expect people to believe that the United States cares that it's happening in either place.

Mr. KOSTMAYER. How do you make those distinctions or don't you make those distinctions between friends and foes?

Ms. LABER. I think that where torture is concerned no distinction should be made. Torture is a crime against humanity. It's against everything that this country stands for.

Mr. KOSTMAYER. Anyone else?

Mr. GOLDMAN. Yes; I agree with Jeri and I'd like to respond more directly. The record of the administration not only on torture, but with respect to promoting human rights in general has not been an admirable one, particularly in the countries where the United States has considerable influence.