The Sri Lankan police force has rejected a report by Human Rights Watch, which said that detainees were regularly tortured in custody.
The New York-based organisation found that police frequently use torture to try to obtain confessions rather than undertaking the more difficult and time-consuming process of gathering evidence through investigations.
Cases detailed in the report are only from the south of the island, as access to the Tamil-dominated North-East was restricted to human rights organisations.
The report named 'We Live in Constant Fear': Lack of Accountability for Police Abuse in Sri Lanka, detailed severe beatings, electric shocks, rubbing chili paste on genitals and suspension from ropes in stress positions, amongst various methods used by the Sri Lankan police.
Police Media Spokesperson ASP Ruwan Gunasekara rejected the report and said to NewsRadio that the report contained fabricated details.
Mr Gunasekara said there had been a clear reduction in cases filed against the police at the Supreme Court and as such questioned the report's validity.
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