Committee may summon Hamzah over custodial deaths, but shake-up looms

Parliamentary special select committee on defence and home affairs chairperson Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said he would consider summoning Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin over deaths in police custody.

However, this is pending a possible shakeup in the select committees following the change of government in March.

“A few things are still pending, but never mind, if I am still chairing (the committee) we will definitely look into it,” Nik Nazmi (photo, above) told Malaysiakini yesterday.

The composition of the special select committees will be decided by the Dewan Rakyat’s selection committee, the Setiawangsa MP explained.

Nik Nazmi said this after the launch of the Pusat Komas’ Malaysia Racial Discrimination Report 2019 in Petaling Jaya last night, where he spoke as a panellist.

This was his response when asked about yesterday's statement by human rights NGO Eliminating Death and Abuse in Custody Together (Edict) that called on the special select committee to summon Hamzah (below) to demand a plan to end deaths in custody.

Edict made the call following reports of another death in custody yesterday, which had occurred at the Segamat district police headquarters on July 17.

“Though the mantra ‘every life matters’ is often repeated in Malaysia, the inspector-general of police and the home minister remain silent in the face of the scourge of deaths in police lock-ups.

“Therefore, we call upon the chairperson of the parliamentary special select committee on defence and home affairs, YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who is the MP for Setiawangsa, to summon the home minister and demand a plan to end the scourge,” Edict said.

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