Amnesty indicts German brutality

8220;In many instances, the alleged ill-treatment appears to have been racially motivated,8221; it said.

Medical evidence shows that the injuries suffered by detainees, mainly bruising and abrasions, and in some cases broken bones, have been consistent with their allegations that they had been punched, kicked or struck with a police baton.

Government officials had no immediate comment on the report. German authorities have opened criminal investigations into all of the allegations of police mistreatment reported to amnesty, the report said.

But many of the officers fingered in the complaints have escaped prosecution, few have faced disciplinary sanctions and none of the alleged victims have gained compensation for their injuries, it said.

8220;German authorities have a responsibility to ensure that such ill-treatment will not be tolerated under any circumstances,8221; the report said.

Amnesty said it sent a letter to Chancellor Helmut Kohl and the governors of Germany8217;s 16 states urging them to set up independent bodies to investigate complaints of police brutality, which German officials have rejected.