Five prison guards charged over Taiping prison 'riot'

 

Five wardens at the Taiping Prison in Perak were charged in court today with injuring inmates during what the prison had framed as a "riot" in January 2025.

According to the Prison Department, two of the prison guards were charged under Section 324 of the Penal Code, while three others were charged under Section 323.

Section 324 stipulates punishment for causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, which carries a jail sentence of up to 10 years and can also be fined or whipped; Section 323 provides a punishment of a maximum one-year jail sentence or a maximum fine of RM2,000, or both, for the offence of voluntarily causing hurt.

All of them were brought before the Taiping Magistrate’s Court this morning.

"The Prison Department fully respects the ongoing legal process and will continue to provide its cooperation to the police, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and the judiciary to ensure that the course of justice is carried out in a transparent, fair, and lawful manner.

"The department also wishes to emphasise that it remains firmly committed to the principles of integrity, professionalism, and accountability in carrying out its responsibilities as the leading institution in the nation’s correctional services.

“The department will not compromise on any misconduct that violates the law or undermines public confidence in the institution.

"At the same time, the department also respects every individual's right to a fair trial in accordance with the rule of law and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty by the court," the department said in a statement.

It also urged the public to refrain from making any speculation or issuing statements that could jeopardise the ongoing judicial process.

Assaulted and framed

On Jan 17, 2025, a large group of detainees transferred to the prison was assaulted by guards while being moved to a block that was in a severely dilapidated condition and unfit for human use.

According to a Suhakam report, the prisoners had unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate against the transfer to that block.

However, they did not resist when the guards compelled them to move.

Instead, it was the guards who acted violently and later framed the inmates for causing a riot. CCTV evidence found no instance of the inmates acting violently.

Suhakam also accused Taiping Prison deputy director Shahrul Izzat Hami of instructing one of the guards to lodge a false police report about the incident, and that the guards had also concocted a lie that an inmate had issued a rape threat against one of their wives.

The commission said that, to support this narrative, prison doctors manipulated medical records with notes such as “post-provocation riot” and “hostile inmate started riot”.

Last month, the Prison Department said one of its personnel had been charged under Section 304(b) of the Penal Code with culpable homicide not amounting to murder in the death of inmate Gan Chin Eng during the incident.

Gan Chin Eng

In addition, five other prison officers were facing disciplinary action. It is unclear whether the same five officers are the ones charged in court today. - Mkini