1153. By letter dated 15 November, the Special Rapporteur advised the Government that he had received information according to which excessive force, in particular the use of pepper spray, has been used against protesters who were said to be non-violent. (…) Gay activists protesting the homophobic murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming were reportedly arrested after a demonstration in October 1998. Some activists were said to have been denied HIV medication, food and water and not given access to toilet facilities. A number of demonstrators were reportedly subjected to ill- treatment and verbal abuse by police officers, including use of homophobic epithets.
1171. Jo Lea Lamor, a transsexual person, was reportedly assaulted by two New York Police District officers, who had been summoned in response to a 911 request for emergency medical assistance in the Bronx on 24 November 1998. The police officers reportedly verbally abused her and pushed her against a wall after discovering that she was transsexual.
Link to full text of the report: Report-SR Torture-2001-eng