Civil rights men killed in Aceh

An American human rights organisation has called for an international inquiry into the killing of three civil rights workers in the Indonesian province of Aceh.

The three local men were shot dead yesterday shortly after leaving a police station, where one of them had been questioned about allegations that members of the security forces had raped five women in southern Aceh.

The organisation, Human Rights Watch, says it is concerned about a pattern of attacks on civil rights and aid workers in Aceh.

The three men killed yesterday were a religious leader Teungku Kamal, a lawyer and their driver.

The police deny any involement in the killings, which they blame on separatist rebels.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service