Death in police custody – Goh Yan Peaw (Segamat police station lock-up, 20 January 2008)

Two years ago yesterday, Goh Yan Peaw died after being detained at the Segamat police station lock-up for eleven days after his arrest. He was reportedly found unconscious in his detention cell and was taken to the hospital, where he died.

An inquest into Goh Yan Peaw’s death was scheduled to commence on 10 June 2008 but it is not clear what, if any, the outcome has been. All custodial deaths are required to be investigated by inquiries conducted pursuant to Chapter XXXII of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Every death in custody must be thoroughly and impartially investigated. Goh Yan Peaw’s death must not be relegated to a mere statistic.

Based on the Royal Malaysia Police’s statistics, 85 persons died in police custody between 2003 and 2007 alone.

We express our heartfelt condolences to Goh Yan Peaw’s family and friends on the anniversary of his death.