Police deny beating suspect after group alleges he was abused in custody

Police have denied that a detainee in Bachok, Kelantan, was beaten up by police officers after the human rights group Eliminating Deaths and Abuse in Custody Together (Edict) alleged that the man was severely assaulted while in custody.

Mohd Norshafriezan Zazlan, 27 (above), was detained by police at a roadside in Kota Bharu on Tuesday and a picture of him in custody with multiple visible injuries was shared with the media during a press conference by Edict today.

Police refuted Edict’s allegation that their officers assaulted the detainee, saying that broken appliances and keys were found in the suspect’s vehicle, which was also not registered, and thus arrested him under suspicion of theft.

“A struggle between officers and the suspect happened during the arrest. The police did not assault him while in custody and a full report will be made soon,” Bachok district police chief deputy superintendent Ismail Mohd Jamaluddin told Malaysiakini.

Ismail said the suspect acted aggressively towards police when they attempted to arrest him, including punching the officers.

He added that the suspect is still being detained at Bachok police headquarters, and has not been brought to court yet.

The police chief assured that full details and facts of the case would be made available soon.

Family and lawyers claim he was assaulted

Earlier today, Edict director Khalid Ismath told reporters that lawyers and the family of Norshafriezan could not contact him and had very little details of his condition.

“We have only received the news yesterday. The police did not notify his family of his arrest, nor did they allow the family to communicate with him,” Khalid said at a virtual press conference held this morning.

He said the group and family members understand from sources that Norshafriezan was last known to have been transferred to the Bachok police headquarters, and there was no information when the alleged assault happened, or how.

A picture of Norshafriezan in custody was shared during the press conference, in which he was visibly seen to have multiple injuries on his head and face.

It is unsure when the picture was taken, while the victim’s hair was seen covered in dirt and there was blood dripping from his forehead in the picture.

“We were shocked to see the picture. We have contacted the investigation officer (IO), who did not cooperate with us even though we notified her that we are from the law firm that will represent Norshafriezan.

“We have no idea how long he is going to be remanded, or if he was remanded according to the law. The IO also did not tell us where he is being detained, and under what charges was he arrested,” Khalid said.

He added that according to his sources, Norshafriezan has suffered injuries all over his body.

Lawyer V Sanjay Nathan, who is representing the family, said Edict will assist the family in lodging a police report on Norshafriezan’s situation.

'A serious misuse of power'

“The family has alleged that he was beaten by the police while in custody. We don’t know if a remand application has been filed in the first place, and we understand he has not been allowed a call to his family.

“That is a serious misuse of power; we will advise the family to lodge a further report to the Integrity and Standards Compliance Department.

“We will also advise the family to strongly request an independent investigation by Bukit Aman police headquarters and the police force in Kelantan, namely the Bachok police headquarters, to find out exactly what happened,” Sanjay said during the press conference.

Edict urged the police to immediately take Norshafriezan to a hospital to receive treatment for his injuries before his condition gets worse.

It added that the group hopes the police will provide information and updates to the lawyers and Norshafriezan’s family on his condition as soon as possible.

During the press conference, it was also revealed that the victim is a former convict. Edict argued that it is no excuse for police to disregard due process and the rule of law.

“It is not an excuse for the police to treat him violently. To beat someone up like that is against the law; nobody has such a right to do that to another person, much less the police,” Edict said. - Mkini