Five out of 12 suspects who were charged with supporting defunct terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have complained of mistreatment, torture or intimidation during their detention.
Family and friends who gathered outside the courtrooms appeared visibly upset as they saw those detained being escorted in and out of the rooms.
Lawyer S Selvam, who applied for the court to hear the statement of his client B Subramaniam told Malaysiakini that his client complained of being tortured.
"During the arrest and subsequent (detention in) 21 days, he was tortured and forced to say 'I am an LTTE member'," he said.
"He faced all sort of threats, including a threat that he would be sent prison for life if he didn't do this (what asked by the police)," said Selvam.
