November 24, 2013 -- Updated 1303 GMT (2103 HKT)
Two of three women believed to have been held captive in London for more
than 30 years met the man suspected of holding them through a "shared
political ideology," London's Metropolitan Police revealed. FULL STORY
Police: UK captives met suspect through 'shared political ideology'
November 23, 2013 -- Updated 1742 GMT (0142 HKT)
Police: Captivity based on mind games
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- A couple is alleged to have held three women captive in London for more than 30 years
- Police arrested the pair Thursday but later released them on bail until January
- On Saturday police said the couple were of Tanzanian and Indian origin
- Two of the victims appeared to have met the man through 'a shared political ideology'
Police announced Thursday
they had arrested a couple on suspicion of being involved in forced
labor and domestic servitude after authorities took a Malaysian woman,
69, Irish woman, 57, and 30-year-old Briton to safety from a property in
Lambeth, south London. They said the man and woman were both 67 and not
British nationals.
In a statement Saturday,
Cmdr. Steve Rodhouse said the suspects were of Indian and Tanzanian
origin and had arrived in Britain in the 1960s.
"We believe that two of
the victims met the male suspect in London through a shared political
ideology, and that they lived together at an address that you could
effectively call a 'collective,'" he said.
"The people involved, the
nature of that collective and how it operated is all subject to our
investigation, and we are slowly and painstakingly piecing together more
information," he said.
Rodhouse said the collective somehow ended, but the women continued to live with the suspects.
Women held by 'invisible handcuffs'
Freed women may feel a 'numbness'
How did women's captivity go unnoticed?
"How this resulted in the
women living in this way for over 30 years is what we are seeking to
establish, but we believe emotional and physical abuse has been a
feature of all the victims' lives."
Rodhouse said the 30-year-old woman did have a birth certificate, but that was all the official documentation police could find.
"We believe she has lived
with the suspects and the other victims all her life, but of course at
this early stage we are still seeking out evidence."
On Friday, Rodhouse said
that labeling the investigation as domestic servitude or forced labor
was "far too simple" and that police were trying to understand "the
invisible handcuffs" that had controlled the women.
"What we have uncovered
so far is a complicated and disturbing picture of emotional control over
many years. Brainwashing would be the most simplest term, yet that
belittles the years of emotional abuse these victims have had to
endure," he said.
Police said Freedom Charity alerted them to the suspects in October after receiving a phone call from one of the victims.
"The woman found the
courage to contact the charity after seeing a documentary on television
we are informed was aired by the BBC," it said in a statement Friday.
With the "help of
sensitive negotiations" by the charity, police met with the Irish and
British women on October 25. The women identified the place where they
said they had been held, allowing police to rescue the 69-year-old
Malaysian woman and take all three to safety, Metropolitan Police said.
Freedom Charity
spokeswoman Aneeta Prem said the organization took "immediate action" to
plan a rescue after learning of the women's situation.
"Facilitating their
escape was achieved using utmost sensitivity and secrecy and with the
safety of the women as our primary concern," she said, describing the
work of those involved as "outstanding."
A television documentary on forced marriages relating to the work of Freedom Charity prompted the call for help.
"They'd seen me on
various news channels talking about forced marriage and dishonor
violence, and they said I had a face they trusted, so they called our
24-hour helpline," Prem told CNN.
She said the process was "very difficult" and charity CEO Vineeta Thornhill was personally involved in the negotiations
"Throughout the process
until they were rescued -- so it was over a week of speaking to them --
she gained their trust and confidence, and they believed that when they
came out, they would be taken to safety, they would be looked after,"
Prem said.
"These ladies have spent
30 years in captivity as slaves and have come out with absolutely
nothing at all," she said. "The road to freedom isn't going to be an
easy one."
On Saturday, Prem said
Freedom Charity had seen an "extraordinary" rise in calls to its help
line since news of the case broke. She said the three victims need to
"go through their rehabilitation undisturbed, without being identified."
TOP EUROPE STORIES
- President: Latvian roof collapse 'basically mass murder'
- Egypt declares Turkish envoy persona non grata
- Slavery: The victims living all around us
- Pope to put 'St. Peter's bones' on display at Vatican
- Russian authorities release most of Greenpeace activists
- FIFA charge Josip Simunic over 'pro-Nazi' chants
- Rescued: Three women 'held for 30 years'
- Letter from suspect in Paris attacks criticized the media
- Turkey: Man suspected of wearing explosives outside PM's offices
- Lindsey Vonn puts comeback on hold after training crash
- COPY http://edition.cnn.com/
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário