25 Apr 2016

Amnesty pushes for Indonesian law change after torture 'admission'

7:45 am on 25 April 2016

Police in Indonesia have admitted torturing a man to death, the human rights NGO Amnesty International says.

It said Indonesia's police chief made the admission to a government committee investigating the death in custody of a suspected terrorist.

The NGO said the admission ended a decade of denial by Indonesia, which had said it didn't engage in torture.

Amnesty spokesperson Margaret Taylor said pressure should be applied to the Indonesian government to outlaw torture.

"Many promises have been made including by President Widodo on election that he would address outstanding human rights concerns," she said.

"What we do know is that the criminal code in Indonesia is being reviewed. It's been under revision for close to three decades, and when they do review it they need to ensure that torture is criminalised."

Ms Taylor said Indonesia should also establish an independent body to investigate complaints made against police.

The Indonesian Human Rights Commission said last month that at least 121 people had died in police custody since 2007.