The wives of a group of Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees today lodged a police report over the alleged ill-treatment meted out on their husbands in police custody.

In the 13-page complaint countersigned by 31 detainees, the wives detailed various indignities suffered by their husbands during their initial 60-day detention to facilitate investigations into the claim that they were members of terrorist organisations.

The report was lodged with the Dang Wangi police station in Kuala Lumpur by Norlaila Othman, wife of detainee Mat Sah Mohd Satray, and Siti Norma Ismail, wife of Abdullah Minyak Silam.

A similar complaint was also made to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) last month.

'Beaten and spat upon'

According to the report, a copy of which was made available to reporters, the detainees said they had been subjected to physical and mental torture by their detaining and interrogation officers.

"The use of the ISA against us is in violation of our basic rights because we were arrested and detained for reasons which do not fulfill the criteria that there must be a threat to national security...Our rights not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment were also violated by the police the whole time we were interrogated," they said.

Among the 59 complaints listed in the report, the detainees claimed that they were beaten, kicked and spat upon by their captors.

They also alleged they were subjected to constant taunts by the police which were sexual, degrading and intimidating in manner.

Speaking to reporters outside the police station later, Norlaila said she has been asked to give a statement to at the Jalan Stadium police station tomorrow.

Norlaila added that the complaints should also be looked into by the royal commission on the police for recommendations to be made to improve the force.

"The commission should let the public know that the police have acted beyond normal humanitarian standards. The police should be exposed and not allowed to carry on like this," she said.

Legal action

In a related development, the habeas corpus applications of eight ISA detainees will also be heard later today at the Kuala Lumpur High Court before Justice Abdul Kadir Musa.

The eight, between the ages of 33 and 50, are Abdul Razak Baharuddin, Mohd Sha Sarijan, Abdullah Minyak Silam, Mat Sah Mohd Satray, Shamsudin Sulaiman, Abdul Murad Sudin, Abdullah Mohd Noor and Nordin Ahmad.

They were detained under the security law between Dec 2001 and April 2002 for allegedly being members of the regional militant organisation Jemaah Islamiah (JI).

The habeas corpus applications of the eight are expected to be affected by the outcome of similar applications filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court by two other JI detainees - Ahmad Yani Ismail and Abdul Samad Shukri Mohamad.

A decision on the duo's applications is due before Feb 21 this year, when their two-year ISA detention orders expire.