TAKE STERN ACTION AGAINST POLICE FOR TORTURE OF SUSPECT
- torture incident witnessed by lawyer & 2 others -
Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (MADPET) is shocked by the recent revelation of torture at the Banting District Police headquarters on 28 October 2005 (as reported in the New Straits Times 29/10/2005). The suspect’s mouth was gagged with a white tape/plaster and his arm was being pulled upwards behind him and he was crying in pain.
This harrowing incident was witnessed by a lawyer and 2 others. All three eye-witnesses immediately lodged police reports about the incident.
We also view with great concern that the reaction of the Officer in Charge of the Police District(OCPD) of Banting, Superintendent Shah Gzali Khan, was to deny the allegations, even before proper investigations have been commenced. His denial and his threats of action against the complainants was reported in the NST of 29/10/2005.
It bodes ill for the nation that the uniformed protectors of the public are terrorizing and torturing persons in violation of the law and human decency.
All those involved in this atrocity, including those police officers who stood by and did nothing to prevent it , must be brought to justice.
We demand the following:-
a) That the Inspector General of Police (IGP) appoint an independent police team to investigate this matter;
b) That the Home Affairs Minister and the IGP take urgent steps to put an end to custodial torture by police personnel in police stations throughout the country
c) That the government immediately sets up a permanent independent body to investigate complaints of abuse or torture perpetrated by the police.
d) That the victim of torture be identified and be justly compensated.
Charles Hector
Salbiah Ahmad
for Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (MADPET)
10th November 2005
