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KUALA LUMPUR – Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) and Gerakan Guaman Rakyat (Gegar) handed over a memorandum to Suhakam yesterday after the death of Muhammad Hidayat Abdul Halim following his detention at the Pekan district police headquarters.
Hidayat, 44, who was arrested on October 8, had died within 48 hours of his detention, drawing suspicion from his family.
The memorandum submitted by Suaram and Gegar said Hidayat was arrested under Section 15(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act, did not suffer from medical issues and was in a healthy condition during detention.
They said that, at the time of detention, the victim’s family was not informed of his arrest or told where he would be detained.
“Only after 10 hours being detained, around 9pm on October 8, was the family informed about the reason behind the victim’s detention.
“The family was also later informed prior to Hidayat’s death that he was vomiting and merely given paracetamol by the police,” the memorandum read.
The family was told by Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan’s forensics chief Dr Sri Marni that Hidayat had died of spontaneous intracranial bleed, causing a stroke.
“This caused doubt among family members as Hidayat had never suffered a stroke or showed signs of weakness.
“The more important question would be why the victim was not given treatment immediately before his condition worsened,” the memorandum added.
Suaram and Gegar emphasised that the welfare of detainees is the responsibility of the authorities.
They expressed hope that Suhakam will investigate the circumstances behind Hidayat’s death to determine if there are elements of abuse of power or negligence.
They also urged Suhakam to demand the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints of Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).
“This happens to be the 12th death in custody recorded by Suaram in 2021,” the memorandum added. – The Vibes, November 2, 2021