Bali accused makes torture claims

The trial is expected to last for a few months

A man on trial for his alleged role in a number of suicide bombings in Bali last year has accused the security services of torturing him.

Mohammad Cholily said he was beaten and suffered inhumane treatment in order to extract a confession.

He had previously admitted involvement in the attacks which killed 20 people, but later retracted his statement.

He did confess, however, to learning how to make bombs from one of the alleged masterminds behind the attacks.

According to his lawyer, Mr Cholily admitted to crimes he did not commit after being tortured for a week.

In a letter read out by his lawyer to the court in Denpasar, Bali, he said he received "slaps in the face, blows in the stomach, kicks in the genitals and was stripped naked and threatened with a gun in his mouth".

However, the letter did not specify where or when the alleged torture took place.

Militant links

Suicide bombers carried out the attacks on three restaurants

Mr Cholily is one of four men accused of involvement in the plot to bomb three restaurants on the Indonesian island of Bali in October last year.

The trials of the men, who are said to be members of the al-Qaeda-linked regional terror group, Jemaah Islamiah, are being held separately.

The suspects are accused variously of transporting explosives and providing support to the operation's alleged leader, Noordin Mohammad Top, a Malaysian-born fugitive at the head of Indonesia's most wanted list.

The men are being tried under Indonesia's anti-terror laws, which in theory carry a maximum penalty of death.

Further claims

A militant who was convicted of the 2002 Bali bombings , in which more than 200 people died, has also made claims of torture.

Amrozi said he and two others were tortured to help convict radical cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

He made the remarks last month during an appeal hearing for the cleric, who was sentenced to 30 months in jail for conspiracy over the 2002 bombings.

Police have denied mistreating any of the 30 men convicted in the 2002 attacks . They have also denied the claims by Mohammad Cholily.