Lawyers representing families of three men killed in a police shooting in Durian Tunggal, Malacca, on Nov 24 last year have criticised the Attorney-General’s Chambers for ordering an inquest into the incident, describing it as unnecessary.
In a statement, Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh argued that an inquest would be an injustice as ample evidence showed the police had captured the men alive and that they were allegedly killed in an execution-style manner.
The lawyers also said the decision to refer the case to a coroner was an abdication of duties and constitutional responsibility, calling for the attorney-general to either carry out his duty or resign.
"Earlier this year, the attorney-general directed that these killings be investigated as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code. Dozens of witness statements were recorded. The investigation papers were reviewed, returned, and reviewed again.
"When the moment came to make the decision that he alone is empowered to make, he instead referred the matter to a coroner.
"He should make the decision to prosecute. Or he should resign. Final responsibility lies with the government, which must protect citizens and uphold the rule of law.
"If their attorney-general cannot do this, the government must not hesitate to replace him."
Rajesh and Sachpreetraj further pointed to an audio recording that allegedly proved the men were alive when arrested and post-mortem reports by a government pathologist.
They said the downward angles of the bullet's penetration make it impossible to have been fired in self-defence and clearly demonstrated execution-style killings.
Based on this evidence, the attorney-general should have brought murder charges against all the police personnel involved, they added.
Shooting incident
Yesterday, the AGC said it has ordered an inquest into the shooting to examine the cause and circumstances of the deaths, including whether any criminal elements were involved.
On Nov 24 last year, police shot dead three men, aged 24 to 29, after one of them allegedly attacked an officer with a machete.
Malacca police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar had defended the officers’ actions, saying the attack left a corporal in his early 30s with severe injuries to his left arm.
The victims’ families disputed that account after an audio recording, allegedly from a phone call made by one of the deceased during the incident, surfaced, suggesting the trio had been killed in cold blood.
A post-mortem report disclosed on July 7 appeared to support those claims, finding that two of the men were shot in the head, while the third suffered a close-range gunshot wound to the chest with a downward bullet trajectory. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.