Madpet calls for contempt of court against home minister, IGP (Malaysiakini)

 See full media statement -Contempt Proceedings Against Home Minister and Others for failure to complete inquest in death in custody cases as directed by the Judiciary?

Madpet calls for contempt of court against home minister, IGP

Published:  Feb 3, 2022 7:30 PM

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Updated: 7:30 PM

 

The Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) has called for contempt of court against those responsible for obstructing inquests in custodial death cases from being completed within the required time frame.

In the group’s statement today, Madpet’s list of individuals includes Hamzah Zainudin, Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani and other law enforcement officers such as the prosecutors.

“Madpet calls for the contempt of court actions against these individuals who caused the failure of ensuring inquests in death in police custody cases, as required by the chief justice’s Practice Direction No 2 of 2019, to be completed within six months be seriously considered,” it said.

Effective March 2019, Practice Direction No 2 of 2019 states that all deaths in custody inquests must be completed within six months - with other inquests of sudden death cases to be done within nine months.

“In December last year, Hamzah disclosed in Parliament that the total number of deaths in police custody cases for the period beginning January 2015 until September 2021 was 79, and those inquests were conducted only for 20 cases.

“After the court’s direction, (said) inquests (were) not yet commenced (even though it) should have started and ended within six months.

“The Special Coroners Court has been established since April 15, 2014, which provides also for the registration of deaths in court, and for duties and procedures for (the) inquest.

“Has the minister, the police and the prosecutors complied with these directions?” asked the group.

It added that if the relevant authorities failed to act in accordance with said directions, they should be found guilty of contempt of court.

The group’s statement comes after four reported custodial deaths which took place last month in Kelantan, Perak and Terengganu.

Additionally, among other calls, Madpet pushed for the inquest of the four recent custodial deaths to be completed in six months and for the enactment of a Coroners Court Act - providing for the employment of paid staff to assist the coroner in carrying out their duties.

Further, the group called on the chief justice of the Federal Court to disclose the number of sudden deaths, number of inquests looking into death in custody cases that have been registered and considered by the coroner, as well as their outcomes. - Malaysiakini, 3/2/2022