JI detainees lodge complaint

JI detainees lodge complaint

MALAYSIA: Suspected members of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group in Malaysia have accused police of torturing them during interrogations.

Thirty-one men, jailed without trial for more than two years under Malaysia's tough security law, lodged a formal abuse complaint with the country's human rights commission.

Activists who oppose the Internal Security Act (ISA) provided The Associated Press with a copy of the complaint on Tuesday, on condition that the names of those who signed it were not published, for fear of reprisals.

In the document, the detainees allege that during interrogations that lasted for weeks after their arrest, police forced them to strip naked during long question-and-answer sessions, and routinely slapped and kicked them.

Deputy Home Minister Zainal Abidin Zin said he had not seen the complaint. However, he said police had no reason to force detainees to confess.

"Even if suspects do not cooperate or confess, the police on their own assessment, can recommend to have them detained, so they do not need to torture or harm these people," he said. -- AP