Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has expressed "shock" over the Johor police classifying a detainee’s death as "sudden death".

This is despite the post-mortem report of the deceased, Syed Mohd Azlan Syed Mohamad Nor, stating that the cause of death was due to blunt force trauma to the chest.

"For the Johor police to classify the case as ' sudden death ' is shocking and unacceptable and it seems clear the police are not taking the case seriously, just like the many custodial deaths around the country," said LFL executive director Eric Paulsen in a statement today.

"The Johor police, instead of downplaying Syed Mohd Azlan’s death, should immediately a commence murder investigation and suspend all the police personnel involved."

The deceased’s family yesterday claimed that the unemployed youth’s body was covered in bruises and "hole-shaped puncture marks".

Johor CID chief Hasnan Hassan, however, alleged that the 25-year-old was a drug addict with a prior criminal record and sustained injuries when resisting arrest.

Paulsen, meanwhile, said there must be independent and competent investigations, rather than "simply asking the wrongdoers to do their own investigations where there will be serious risks of collusion and cover-up".

"There should be zero tolerance towards custodial deaths. It is the most heinous crime the police can perpetrate and it must not be allowed to become common occurrence in Malaysia.

"All remand detainees are innocent until convicted in a court of law and like other citizens they are entitled to their basic human rights during their detention," he said, stressing that the police cannot resort to questionable forms of interrogation.

Stressing that Malaysia should not be allowed to develop into a police state where a detainee can die or be killed while in police custody, Paulsen said in order to restore public faith in the administration of justice, the culture of impunity and cover-up must be replaced by independent and competent police investigation.

This includes an Attorney General's Chambers and judiciary that are genuinely committed to inquire into all extra-judicial killings, he said.

He also reiterated LFL’s urging for the government to implement the recommendation of the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police (May 2005), for the setting up of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

"This is so that IPCMC can function as an independent and external oversight body to investigate complaints about police personnel," he said.