Singapore Rearrests 8 Who Said They Were Tortured

Eight former prisoners who charged Monday that they were tortured while in detention last year for alleged involvement in a Marxist plot were rearrested Tuesday, a government spokesman said.

He gave no details, but friends and relatives said the eight were seized for issuing a signed statement alleging that they were stripped, made to stand in freezing rooms and hit while being interrogated in detention.

Lawyer Patrick Siong, who helped the group win freedom after their earlier detention, was also arrested, the government spokesman confirmed.

The eight were part of a group of 22 people, including 10 Roman Catholic church workers, arrested in May and June last year for alleged involvement in a Marxist plot to overthrow the government. Nine former prisoners signed Monday’s statement, but one is believed to be out of the country.