Trial witness 'beaten with cable'

Faryadi Sarwar Zardad denies the charges

A witness in a torture case has told the Old Bailey that he was imprisoned by an alleged Afghan warlord and whipped with cable once a night.

The beatings lasted between 10 and 15 minutes, the witness, who cannot be named, said.

He was the first in the trial to give evidence via a live video link with Afghanistan, which was beset with technical difficulties.

Faryadi Sarwar Zardad denies conspiring to kidnap and torture in his homeland.

Mr Zardad moved to Britain in 1998 and was working in south London when he was arrested.

He is the first person to be tried at the Old Bailey under Section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act, which allows Britain to try alleged torturers regardless of where the crime is alleged to have occurred.

Video link disruption

Tuesday's witness was the first of several due to give evidence from a specially-prepared room in the British Embassy in Kabul, which is being used as an extension of the Central Criminal Court in London.

But two power cuts in Kabul on Tuesday caused delays with the live video link-up.

And the case had to be adjourned while a new interpreter was called because the jury struggled to understand the first.

Tuesday's witness said he had been imprisoned after pointing a Kalashnikov rifle at another commander to help free a boy he thought was in danger of being abused.

The boy was released but the witness was beaten with rifle butts, sticks and stones when he put his rifle down leaving his head "injured and bleeding", he told the jury.

He said he was then taken to a prison - "a small room with 20 people and one window" - where he was held for six months.

The prosecution alleges that for most of his imprisonment the witness was locked in a metal cupboard "like a coffin", allegedly to prevent him escaping his shackles.

I could feel the pain in my bones and my back would go black Trial witness Case fraught with difficulty

The witness told the court Mr Zardad would arrive with his security guard to "beat me up" and he was whipped with the cable every night, he told the court.

"I was forced to lie down in a room and they would beat me on my back and legs," he said.

"Something was attached to the tip of the cable. They wanted me to pay money.

"I could feel the pain in my bones and my back would go black.

"I screamed. I was in a lot of pain."

Asked why he had not escaped, he said there were many guards, the gate was locked and his legs were handcuffed at night.

On Monday, the first prosecution witness gave evidence in London, showing the jury scars from injuries he claims were inflicted by gunmen under the control of Mr Zardad.

Mr Zardad, 42, of Gleneagle Road, Streatham, south London, denies conspiracy to torture and conspiracy to take hostages between 31 December 1991 and 30 September 1996.

The trial continues.