Guyana (AP):

Two suspects detained for questioning about a fire that destroyed a government building in Guyana were severely beaten in custody, a human rights group said yesterday.

Mike McCormack, secretary of the Guyana Human Rights Association, said the alleged abuse fits a pattern of state-sponsored brutality by criminal investigators in the South American country.

"It appears that there is an alternative police force at work torturing people," he said.

The two men were detained, allegedly beaten and then released without charges in the arson probe into the blaze that destroyed the wooden health ministry building on July 17. The government has offered a GY$125,000 reward for information leading to convictions.

Col Bruce Lovell, the acting chief of staff for Guyana's military, said the allegations will be investigated once they are formally reported.

A United States State Department report this year gave the government mixed reviews on human rights, noting its generally positive record has been marred by reported abuses, including security forces' mistreatment of suspects.