If the police were to bring cases involving allegations of human rights violations to court, it would take such cases out of the Human Rights Commission's hand, said commission chairman Musa Hitam in an exclusive interview with malaysiakini .

"If that does happen, it is not in our hands. The law clearly states that," he said.

According to the former deputy prime minister, the Human Rights Commission Act specifically states that the newly formed body cannot investigate cases when they are before the court of law.

However, he was quick to quash the suggestion that the police could render the commission powerless by instituting legal proceedings in cases involving allegations of human rights violations.

"This is an unnecessary prediction," he said. "There might be political parties or individuals who are accused of human rights violations. They could also institute court proceedings to prevent investigations."

He believed that the cases brought to court by the police will not "happen deliberately".

"That conspiracy theory can work on both sides, and all parties concerned," he said.

Musa explained that the commission could not investigate issues relating to "the right of peaceful assembly" and "arbitrary arrests" in the "Black 14" demonstration - held on April 15 to mark the first anniversary of the sentencing of sacked deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim - was because there are court proceedings involving both cases.

However, he said commission vice-chairman and former judge Harun Hashim will be probing the allegations of mistreatment of the demonstrators by the police since it does not involve the court.

In the two-hour interview at his residence in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur, last Saturday, Musa also refuted criticisms of the commission over the choice of some appointees to Suhakam (the Malay acronym for Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia), the body's apparent lack of credibility, and the problems afflicting Umno and his expectations on next week's Umno party polls.

The first of a four-part series on the Musa interview appeared yesterday.