The testimonies of 10 reformasi activists detained under the Internal Security Act confirmed that their detentions were politically motivated and have nothing to do with national security, Barisan Alternatif leaders said today.

According to the sworn affidavits of the detainees, none of them were questioned about the procurement of weapons or explosive materials and the use of dangerous weapons during street demonstrations.

PAS president Fadzil Noor, Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, PRM president Dr Syed Husin Ali and DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang said this at a joint press conference at the Keadilan headquarters in Damansara.

"Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai claimed that the reformasi movement planned to topple the government through militant means which included having taken steps to obtain explosive material and weapons including bombs, grenade launchers and Molotov cocktails to attack the security forces during militant street demonstrations.

"Surprisingly, throughout the detention, most of the detainees were not asked a single question or interrogated in respect of these alleged activities," said the four leaders.

Relevant affidavits

Details of the police investigation were made known when the Federal Court chaired by Chief Justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah on Aug 6 allowed fresh evidence in the form of affidavits from the 10 detainees on the grounds that they were "clearly relevant to the appeal".

Counsel for the defence, Sulaiman Abdullah told the five-member Federal Court that the questions asked during interrogation were irrelevant to the issue of national security and therefore showed the arrests were mala fide (in bad faith).

The 10 were arrested by the police in April to pre-empt what Norian had called an attempt to "overthrow the government through militant means".

Five of them - social activist-cum- malaysiakini columnist Hishammuddin Rais, Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua, party youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, supreme council leader Saari Sungib and Freeanwar.com webmaster Raja Petra Kamaruddin, had appealed to the Federal Court against a High Court ruling that had validated their detentions under the ISA.

Apart from the affidavits from this five, the apex court also admitted affidavits filed by Keadilan leaders N Gobalakrishnan, Abdul Ghani Haroon and Dr Badrul Amin Bahron, and social activist Badaruddin Ismail.

Raja Petra and Badaruddin were released unconditionally by the police at the end of their 60-day investigative period while Gobalakrishnan and Abdul Ghani were ordered to be released by the Shah Alam High Court. The rest have been sent to the Kamunting Detention Centre since June 2.

Grilled on party and sex

The leaders said the government abused the security apparatus (police and the ISA) to deal with the opposition.

They said that interrogation of the detainees by the Special Branch focussed on areas such as the political and organisational aspects of BA component parties, including the machinery and funding of the Lunas by-election campaign in November last year.

They added the detainees were also questioned about the relationship between the parties and non-governmental organisations, as well as details of Umno leaders who were seen to be still supporting jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

"They were also asked why people were not happy with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad," the leaders said.

The affidavits also revealed that the police went to great lengths to persuade the detainees by "crude intimidatory, abusive and propagandistic methods" that Anwar had committed sexual misconduct.

The detainees were told that they were foolish to continue to give Anwar political support, the leaders added.

"The interrogation also revealed shocking and perverse preoccupation within the Special Branch with sexual matters.

"Detainees were grilled and abused on their personal lives and pressured to make false statements about sexual activities with various persons," they said.

Desperate government

The leaders also told reporters that several detainees were told not to bother about engaging lawyers to challenge their detention through habeas corpus applications as they would be rearrested immediately and subjected to another 60-day detention if released by the courts.

"In this context, we note that Justice Hishamuddin Yunus pointed out in his grounds of judgment in allowing the habaes corpus applications for (two former detainees) Gobalakrishnan and Abdul Ghani, that he would have considered a re-arrest on the same grounds as the initial arrest, a contempt of court," said the four.

The leaders stressed that with these revelations, it was clear that the arrests were to stop the growing momentum of BA and popular support for it.

"The government is desperate to paint the BA in a negative light and is using a combination of ISA arrests and mischievous and false propaganda to do this.

"If the authorities have reason to believe that individuals are involved in criminal activities, then these individuals should be charged and tried in court," they said.