Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was taken to task today over his denial that Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees were abused and tortured by the authorities.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali, who had been held for six years under ISA, said the premier should stop pretending that there is no torture of Malaysian prisoners.

"Abdullah knows, the police know and the public also know that under police custody, in lock-ups, in prisons and in secret holding centres, prisoners have been deprived of sleep, forced to simulate sexual acts and beaten up, and in some cases even to death," said Syed Husin in a statement.

"Outside these places, hundreds of criminal suspects have been shot dead by trigger-happy officers, who obviously believe that dead people tell no tales," he added.

Syed Husin was responding to Abdullah's remarks yesterday that there was no truth in the claims by ISA detainees that they were abused.

"I have never heard of such atrocities ... I dare say that there are no such abuses here," Abdullah was quoted as saying in press reports today.

Abdullah, who is also the internal security minister, added that the allegation were very serious and asked those with proof of such allegations to "talk to us".

"Don't make generalised statement, difficult for us to take action," he said.

Forced to drink spittle

Syed Husin also said that he was ready to face Abdullah in a public debate to discuss the on-going abuses and tortures by the authorities on detainees and prisoners.

However, adding that he was certain Abdullah will not entertain such a request, the opposition leader said the best alternative would be for the premier to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate into abuse, torture and brutality on prisoners since the introduction of the ISA in 1960.

This independent and high-powered commission should report back to Parliament and make its findings public, he added.

The issue of abuse and torture of detainees came to the fore following a memorandum by 31 ISA detainees to the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) on Jan 19, outlining 57 types of abuses they claimed to have been subjected to since their detention at the Kamunting detention centre.

The 31, all detained since 2001 for alleged terrorism activities, claimed that they were forced to strip naked during interrogation, urinate in a bottle and drink spittle. The detainees also claimed that their interrogators had burnt their beards.

The allegations of abuse were again put in the spotlight after incidences of similar tortures were reportedly meted out to Iraqi prisoners by their American jailers in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison.

Ministers rebuked

On Monday, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar and Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar dismissed the claims by the ISA detainees, stating that such tortures did not take place in Malaysia and blamed the media for blowing up the issue.

Yesterday, two human rights organisations - Suaram and Hakam - rebuked the statements by the ministers.

They said that the abuse of detainees has been going on for decades in the country and gave some incidences of prisoners who claimed to have been tortured.


Chart: Incidences of torture in Malaysia

We were tortured under ISA, say former detainees

Torture under the ISA