Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – After years of being denied access to proper medical treatment, Yusuf Sipakoly, a political prisoner being detained in Ambon, Maluku, died at the age of 52 on Monday.

Despite mounting pressure from international human rights group such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, authorities from Ambon's Nania Prison had repeatedly refused treatment for Yusuf, who had been serving a 12-year sentence for treason.

Although Kuda Mati General Hospital in Ambon has not yet released its findings into the cause of death, including to Yusuf's family, Semuel Wailaruny, a lawyer from the Maluku People's Advocacy Team, which has been monitoring Yusuf's condition, said that he had been suffering from kidney failure and had required dialysis.

Amnesty said it believed that such denial of urgently needed medical care amounted to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

"Yusuf became gravely ill after he was tortured during his detention and interrogation process by police officers three years ago. And for three years, he was not treated properly," Semuel told the Jakarta Globe.

"He was beaten in the abdomen, which might have caused his kidney to rupture, and suffered internal bleeding in his vital organs.

"He told prison officials about his severe pains but was denied hospital treatment. He also did not receive adequate treatment for rib injuries he had received during his detention."

It was not until last week that Yusuf was given permission to be treated at Kuda Mati Hospital.

"Help might have come too late for Yusuf," Semuel said. "His face was already blue because he needed dialysis. He was already weak. I could see the light in his eyes fading."

The lawyer added that Yusuf went into a coma at 5 a.m. on Monday and the hospital released him into the care of his family at 10 a.m. Yusuf died at his home at 11:30 a.m. local time.

"The treatment of Yusuf Sipakoly violates Indonesia's obligations under international human rights law," Amnesty said in a statement. "The denial of medical care for Yusuf Sipakoly also violates the guarantee of the right to health in Article 28H (1) of the Indonesian Constitution."

Chandran Lestyono, a spokesman for the Justice and Human Rights Ministry, which oversees the country's penal system, said financial constraints made providing proper medical treatment for prisoners difficult.

"The medical budget for each prison is limited, sometimes as little as Rp 15,000 [$1.65] per prisoner per year," he said. "To address the financial issues, we must coordinate with the Health Ministry, and that means a very long administrative process. So we didn't do this deliberately."

Yusuf was arrested in June 2007 for assisting a group of Maluku political activists who unfurled the Benang Raja flag, the symbol of the South Maluku independence movement, while performing a traditional war dance in front of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during a visit to Ambon.

Although Yusuf did not participate in the act, he was caught with a Benang Raja flag. Semuel said Yusuf was subsequently taken to a police station where he and other activists were allegedly beaten by police officers.

"We have tried to take the human rights abuse case to the National Commission on Human Rights and police internal affairs, but no action has ever been taken," he said.