PETALING JAYA: An MP has called on the government to allow an independent third party to investigate allegations of torture, mistreatment, and intimidation in police custody.
This comes after Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador stating that the allegations made by five people charged with supporting the now defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as “baseless and irresponsible”.
Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had asked for a probe into the allegations.
Speaking to FMT, Klang MP Charles Santiago said the police cannot be asked to investigate themselves, more so since the IGP has already ruled out any wrongdoing.
“How can we expect the people who have been accused of torture to investigate themselves? It does not make sense. Where will the checks and balances come from?
“The government must get the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) to investigate as this relates to human rights.”
Santiago said that torture is not limited to physical abuse and as such, Muhyiddin’s call for police reports to be lodged if the detainees had marks on their bodies was “misinformed”.
One of the detainees claimed he was forced to admit he was an LTTE member and threatened with life imprisonment if he did not comply with police orders.
A lawyer for another suspect said her client was kept in a separate dark cell, which did not comply with lock-up regulations.
“These are also forms of torture, it may not be physical torture but mental torture. This is why a human rights body must be the one to investigate.”
He added that the government should have no reason to object against having a third party investigate if it had nothing to hide. - FMT
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.