In view of this, Suaram said the police must answer for the bruises and "hole-shaped puncture marks" found on his body as well as bring the policemen "responsible" to justice.
"They cannot run away by classifying Syed Mohd Azlan's death as sudden death," it added in a statement today.
Previously, Johor CID chief Hasnan Hassan alleged that the 25-year-old unemployed youth was a drug addict with a prior criminal record and sustained injuries when resisting arrest.
Suaram questioned how could a "young and healthy person suddenly die after being detained by the police".
Criticising Hasnan, it said the police officer’s explanation "did not make sense" and "lacked integrity" .
Suaram also urged for an inquest to be hed as soon as possible to determine Syed Mohd Azlan's actual cause of death.
"If it is found that any police officer had used force to torture him while he was in custody, then the police officer should be charged and punished over the crime," it added.
Taking the police to task for "hiding" the deceased's death from his family, Suaram said this showed that the police had “something to hide”.
"Syed
Mohd Azlan was pronounced dead by the hospital at 7.30am. However, his
father was only informed of his death at 1pm," it said.As for the deceased, who was detained for allegedly possessing a firearm, Suaram pointed out that the police did not find any firearm at the deceased's home.
"The police had confirmed that a struggle occurred between the police and the deceased when detaining him and they were injured in the process.
"This showed that the police were not responsible when they did not provide medical treatment to the deceased although he had suffered an injury," it added.
Suaram then urged for the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to be implemented "so that death in custody cases can be managed in a transparent and just manner".
The family’s lawyer and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo was called in by the police today in connection with the case.
No comments:
Post a Comment