NGO calls for Anti-Torture Act after death of private from alleged bullying

Summary

• The Coalition of Victims of Torture and Deaths in Custody calls for enactment of an Anti-Torture Act.

• It says this follows the death of 21-year-old private Muhammad Muqriz Aser, who was attached to the Royal Malay Regiment's 20th Battalion.

• Coalition coordinator Syed Shariff says consecutive deaths in the military and Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) show the need for immediate enactment of the Act.

The Coalition of Victims of Torture and Deaths in Custody today called for the enactment of the Anti-Torture Act.

The coalition said this follows the death of Muhammad Muqriz Aseri, a 21-year-old private at the 20th Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment in Miri, Sarawak.

"The consecutive deaths in the military and the Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) involving soldiers and cadets show the need for the immediate enactment of the Anti-Torture Act.

"The proposed Act will cover all public officials including military officers or law enforcement officers who are responsible for detainees or arrests," said the coalition's coordinator Syed Mohamad Shariff Syed Muhamed Nur in a statement.

Yesterday, the armed forces said that initial investigations found an element of manhandling believed to be the cause of Muqriz's death.

The report received after the autopsy at the Miri Hospital in Sarawak said that the cause of death was due to blunt force trauma to the chest - a strong blow to the chest that caused damage to the heart.

The army said in a statement that the case had been handed over to the police for further investigation.

The army had also established an internal inquiry to identify the cause and factors that contributed to the incident.

Victims’ protection fund

Syed Shariff (above) said the Act can impose life sentences and dismiss public officials involved in torture as well as prevent them from receiving a pension.

He also called for a fund for victims.

"A victims' protection fund should be established to assist victims or families of torture victims," he said.

He urged the Madani government to focus on preventing torture and deaths in custody from recurring.

Two soldiers nabbed

Yesterday, the police arrested two soldiers at the Sri Miri army camp in Miri after Muqriz's death.

Miri district police chief Alexson Naga Chabu said the suspects, aged 22 and 24, both with army private ranks, were picked up from the military camp at about 4.30pm the day before.

Before that, Berita Harian reported that Muqriz was pronounced dead at the Miri Hospital after he was allegedly bullied by two senior soldiers.

The report cited a source saying that at 2.15am on Monday (March 24), the victim was sleeping when he was woken up by two seniors for a pre-dawn meal.

However, the report stated that the two personnel ordered the victim to fall into a “commando rest” position for two minutes by balancing his head on the floor with his hands behind his back, followed by 20 push-ups.

The Defence Ministry has been plagued by controversy due to a series of abuse and torture incidents at its prestigious Military Training Academy, where the Armed Forces send their cadets to undergo basic military courses while pursuing their tertiary education at UPNM.

One of the most infamous cases was the murder of navy cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain in 2017.

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