While Malaysia has been quick to condemn the United States for the abuses of its Iraqi prisoners, a former Internal Security Act detainee reminded Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that such tortures were also practised at home.

"During my six-year detention under ISA, many detainees, especially those accused of being 'communist', 'pro-communist' or 'Islamic fundamentalists', related numerous stories of how they were threatened, humiliated and tortured by their interrogators," said Syed Husin Ali, who is also deputy leader of the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan).

"In fact, I myself had my own share of some of similar experiences, which I have related in my book 'Two Faces' and 'Dua Wajah', although they were much less than what the others had to undergo," he said.

In his book, Syed Husin wrote about how he was asked to strip naked and slapped by his interrogators when he was detained in 1974.

"One minute I was a professor, the next I was a prisoner," wrote the former sociology lecturer at Universiti Malaya who had supported poor farmers in Baling, Kedah being squeezed by rising prices and falling incomes.

Stripped naked

The farmers' plight had led to student protests, and this was followed by the ISA arrests of youth leaders such as jailed deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

"These happened in the 70s. During the 90s, several leaders detained after Anwar reported all kinds of abuses, like being forced to strip naked and even to drink their own urine, besides being physically assaulted," lamented Syed Husin.

"Almost similar experiences of abuse and torture have been reported by later ISA detainees, who were accused of being 'Islamic militants' or 'reformasi activists' alleged to be involved in activities to overthrow the government by force, which have never been proven in any court of law."

ISA allows for detention without trial of those suspected of being a threat to national security.

Anwar, who was again arrested under ISA in 1998, was badly beaten by the ex-police chief while being held in custody. According to Syed Husin, the former deputy premier was stripped naked during the early days of his detention.

Graphic testimony

Syed Husin also referred to the testimony by Dr Munawar Ahmad Anees, Anwar's former speech writer, who was arrested on allegation of committing sodomy with the fallen politician.

Anees has written a graphic statutory declaration about his tortures, some of which were sexually orientated, by his interrogators which he said was meted out to force his confession and to implicate Anwar.

Syed Husin called on Abdullah to emulate US defence secretary Donald Rumsfield and publicly apologise for perpetrating abuse and torture of political prisoners.

"As PM and minister for internal security, Abdullah must issue orders that such abuses and torture be immediately stop," he said.

Abdullah has yesterday urged US President George W Bush to issue orders to the US military to stop abusing and torturing Iraqi prisoners in Baghdad.

Television footage broadcast last week showed inmates at Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad being forced into humiliating, sexually suggestive poses.