Amnesty International and Suaram have urged the authorities in Malaysia to use their resources to stem death-in-custody cases, which saw 12 deaths so far this year, compared to nine last year.

In their joint five-page open letter to Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dated July 22, Amnesty and Suaram voiced their concerns over the rising deaths in custody cases, which they described as “shocking”.

“It sends a chilling message to all those at risk of arrest by police. They point to the lack of adequate systems in place to monitor and prevent such deaths,” said Hazel Galang, Amnesty International’s Campaigner on Malaysia.  

NONE The authorities must take immediate steps to end the alarming rate of reported deaths in custody, some as a result of torture or other ill-treatment.

The human rights groups said according to the Malaysian Parliament, there have been more than 230 deaths in custody since 2000, the most recent being Chew Siang Gap , 26, who died at the Batu Gajah rehabilitation centre in Perak, where bruises on the body were discovered by his father.

Last month, there was the case of P Karuna Nithi, an engineer who died in police custody in Negri Sembilan. He was found with 49 injury marks on his body. Family members said his corpse showed signs of beating, with blood coming out of the back of his head.

Amnesty also noted that of the 12 cases, only one of them had seen three policemen charged in court, and that too after a public outcry.

‘Measures not good enough’

Amnesty and Suaram also welcomed the “limited steps” taken by the authorities to establish centralised police lock-ups in state capitals and permanent coroner’s courts.

“Amnesty International and Suaram believe these initiatives are positive, but do not go far enough.

NONE “Police officials are in a situation where they can commit human rights violations and walk free. There is still no effective independent accountability mechanism for the police despite repeated urgings by human rights groups over the years, and the Malaysian authorities should establish one immediately,” said Galang.

Likewise, the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), a body established in 2011 to handle public complaints against government bodies including the police, has been under-resourced.

Amnesty International also noted that police abuses are not limited to detainees in custody but also outside as well, where it claimed it has received a steady flow of reliable reports of police using  excessive and lethal force during arrests, citing the C Sugumar case as an example.

“These latest cases of police abuse should be a wake-up call for the authorities. Now is the time to step up the police reform process and ensure that all cases of police abuse are thoroughly and impartially investigated, and victims receive justice and reparations,” said Galang.

In the open letter, which it also sent to IGP Khalid Abu Bakar, the human rights group sugested that the authorities make it clear to the police and other authorities that ill-treatment will never be tolerated; ensure all questioning sessions be video or audio recorded and records kept, and allow the detainees access to lawyers in cases of complaints of torture.