Noorizwan’s family to hold gathering at Bukit Aman over Cheras custodial death

 

The family of Noorizwan Zulkefly will hold a peaceful gathering at Bukit Aman police headquarters on Oct 17 to demand justice and answers over his death in police custody.

Noorizwan, 42, was pronounced dead on Oct 1 after spending about 10 days in custody at the Cheras district police headquarters.

His brother, Nooranis Zulkefly, said the family had received no response from the police since speaking out about the case a week ago.

“If we do not fight this issue, such incidents could continue to happen to members of the public who are oppressed, especially those who do not have the financial means,” he told Malaysiakini.

Death in Cheras police custody PC LFL 071026 Noorizwan’s family and lawyer

Nooranis (above, right) also claimed that those allegedly involved remained scot-free, while the family continued to receive no answers about the circumstances surrounding Noorizwan’s death.

The gathering is scheduled for 11am and is expected to draw the family’s lawyers, NGOs, and members of the public.

Nooranis said the family would submit a memorandum and call on the inspector-general of police to issue a statement on the case.

Sudden news of death

At a press conference on Oct 7, Nooranis said he learnt of his brother’s death through a text message purportedly sent by a police officer at about 8pm on Oct 1.

The message reportedly said Noorizwan had been taken to the hospital after sustaining injuries in a fall while in police custody. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Nooranis said the family had not been informed of his arrest and was shocked to learn of his death.

Lawyers for Liberty co-founder N Surendran, who represents the family, said the post-mortem found that Noorizwan died from blunt force trauma, with fresh bleeding under the skin.

Photographs provided by the family showed apparent injuries, including swelling on his feet and knees, wounds on his back and wrists, fractured ribs, and extensive head injuries.

Following the revelations, Surendran (below) disputed the claim that Noorizwan’s injuries were caused by a fall and called for his death to be classified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

He also urged Bukit Aman to form an independent team to investigate the case.

Separately, human rights group Suaram called for an investigation and urged the home minister and police to disclose the reasons for Noorizwan’s arrest.

It also called for the release of his remand records, clarification on whether proper detention procedures had been followed, and an update on the action taken in the case. - Mkini