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