Ayer Molek lockup ‘unfit for humans’, decries Suhakam man

The first thing that struck Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) commissioner Jerald Joseph during a visit to the Ayer Molek police lockup was the overpowering stench.

"When you go in, the first thing that hits you is the smell... There was a strong 'old' smell and an overpowering human-body stench.

"Detainees were wearing lockup clothes that hadn't been washed regularly. They are supposed to have three sets of clothes each but we were told there wasn't enough (clothes)," he told Malaysiakini in a phone interview.

Joseph was part of the Suhakam delegation that visited the Ayer Molek lockup on July 31 and later demanded that it be shut down because it was unfit for use.

In a strongly-worded statement on Wednesday, Suhakam said that they witness 120 detainees being held in "inhumane" conditions as they were denied medical treatment and proper food and water.

Joseph said that the team discovered that the lockup was housed in the former Ayer Molek prison building which is said to be at least 100 years old.

While the prison was closed and moved to Simpang Renggam, Johor, last year, a portion of the facility has been used as a police lockup since 2009.

Torturous conditions

Aside from the stench, Joseph said the commissioners were shocked to find that detainees had very limited access to clean drinking water.

"There was no tap. No clean drinking water was available in any of the cells.

"Inmates only got a packet of water, three times a day, when the food supplier came to drop off their food packets," he explained.

Suhakam had noted that the daily budget for all three meals for each detainee was RM8.

Joseph said he witnessed up to 10 detainees were held in each cell, the largest of which was roughly 7m by 4m, with decaying wooden flooring.

Each cell had an open toilet and a lot of detainees looked sickly, said Joseph.

Detainees are typically those under remand, which means they are usually held up to five days.

However, Joseph said foreigners detained for immigration offences could end up staying at Ayer Molek for up to two weeks.

"Just being in those conditions is torture, even the police don't want to be there. It is unfit for humans to live in," he said.

'No budget'

According to Suhakam, police officers stationed at the lockup resorted to buying their own masks and gloves to prevent contracting tuberculosis from infected detainees.

Suhakam said there were no medical officers present despite this being a requirement under the Lock Up Rules in the Prison Act 1995.

Police officers told Joseph they had highlighted these issues to their superiors but were told there was "no budget" to remedy the situation.

Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed was previously firmly and swiftly rebuked when he described Suhakam's report on Ayer Molek as "outdated".

Nur Jazlan, who is the Pulai MP, had said that the prison had long been closed after his ministry learned about the poor conditions there.

"I think he needs to be updated. We are talking about the lockup here, not the prison," said Joseph.

Nevertheless, he called for the entire facility to be shut down.

"The prison has already been closed, thus it should not be used for anything else." -Mkini