Custodial death in Kota Bharu, group claims abuse, cops waiting on labs

 

Human rights group Eliminating Deaths and Abuse in Custody Together (Edict) has flagged a death in custody in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, which they claim was the result of police abuse.

The detainee, whose name has not been released, was allegedly arrested several days ago and held at the Kota Bharu district police headquarters.

Edict claimed that the detainee was beaten by police, which led to his death on Nov 16.

When contacted, Kota Bharu deputy CID chief Rodney Pasla Haris said the case was being investigated as sudden death.

He said a post-mortem has been conducted and the cause of death is pending until the lab pathology report is completed.

Last week, Edict had flagged the case of Mohd Norshafriezan Zazlan, 27, whom they alleged had been severely beaten while under police custody in Bachok, Kelantan.

Police denied that they beat Norshafriezan after he was detained, but admitted that a struggle had broken out when police moved to arrest him.

Transparency needed

Human rights groups have lamented the high number of custodial deaths over the years. 

Last month, the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) revealed that there were 456 reported deaths in custody in 2020 alone.

Suhakam commissioner Jerald Joseph said this included 363 deaths recorded by the Prisons Department, 50 by the Immigration Department, 34 by the police, and nine in the National Anti-Drugs Agency (Nada).

Health factors remain the leading cause of custodial deaths, with Covid-19 contributing to this death toll in the last year.

Meanwhile, Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) has called for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to probe the deaths.

“The rakyat can no longer accept the excuse of a 'few bad apples' ruining the barrel – we need to study what is causing this recurring miscarriage of justice," said TI-M president Muhammad Mohan.

“This is not helped by the opaque and inconsistent procedures from the law enforcement agencies entrusted to protect us.

“Hence, TI-M calls upon the government to initiate a royal commission of inquiry into the deaths in custody, under the ambit of the Home Affairs Ministry." - Mkini