LFL to march to Parliament tomorrow, demand justice for Noorizwan

Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) will lead a march to Parliament tomorrow to demand justice for Noorizwan Zulkefly, who died in police custody, and to press for the immediate establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

In a statement today, LFL director Rania Aljunied said Noorizwan’s family and friends, CSOs, lawyers, and concerned Malaysians will join the march, scheduled to begin at Taman Tugu at 10.30am, before moving toward the Parliament building to hand over a memorandum to MPs.

“Not only must justice be given to Noorizwan's family, but it is now time for the IPCMC to finally be formed,” she said.

According to Rania, no police officers have been suspended or arrested more than three weeks after Noorizwan’s death, and no party has been held accountable so far.

She described the case as the worst custodial death case since the case of A Kugan in 2009.

READ MORE: The ghost of Kugan and the watchdog that never was

Rania said although the inspector-general of police has directed the Criminal Investigation Department to investigate the case, the investigation has yet to be classified as a murder case under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

“The investigation into the case has not been classified as a murder case under Section 302 of the Penal Code. In fact, no police officers have been suspended from duty or arrested following Noorizwan's death in police custody on Oct 1. Therefore, justice has not been served,” she said.

Noorizwan, 42, was arrested by police in Cheras on Sept 19 to assist in investigations related to drugs, housebreaking, and theft.

He was taken to the Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital (HCTM) on Sept 30 before being confirmed dead at 1.52am the following day.

According to media reports, an autopsy found no injuries to Noorizwan’s internal organs, but several external injuries were identified.

The exact cause of his death is still pending laboratory analysis.

Family demands explanation

Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail directed Bukit Aman CID to conduct an immediate investigation following the discovery of several unusual injuries on Noorizwan’s body.

Police had previously classified the case as sudden death, while the Integrity and Standard Compliance Department continues its investigation.

The case was also referred to the Independent Police Conduct Commission.

Noorizwan’s family previously demanded an explanation regarding the circumstances that led to his death and urged that an independent and transparent investigation be conducted.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had also directed that an investigation be carried out thoroughly, transparently, and without compromise, as well as ensuring that updates on the case are communicated to the family.

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