KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has welcomed the government’s commitment to act on the findings and recommendations arising from its public inquiry into human rights violations at Taiping Prison.
In a statement today, Suhakam said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s assurance that the government was prepared to facilitate further investigations reflected an important commitment to accountability and the rule of law.
The commission also welcomed the minister’s remarks that “what is wrong is wrong” and that no wrongdoing would be protected.
“The findings of the Public Inquiry revealed serious violations of the human rights of detainees and raised concerns regarding the conduct of certain prison personnel, institutional accountability, and the adequacy of existing safeguards within places of detention,” Suhakam said.
The commission expressed hope that the Royal Malaysia Police would complete its investigations thoroughly, independently and expeditiously, taking into account the evidence and findings presented during the inquiry.
It added that where sufficient evidence exists, appropriate criminal prosecutions should be initiated against all individuals found to have committed offences, regardless of rank or position.
Suhakam also stressed that accountability should extend beyond criminal investigations, urging agencies responsible for disciplinary oversight, governance, integrity and public service accountability to act within their respective mandates.
The commission said it would convene an engagement session with relevant agencies under Section 13(3) of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act 1999 to obtain updates and monitor progress on the implementation of the inquiry’s recommendations.
The statement follows the release of Suhakam’s public inquiry findings, which described the abuses and negligence uncovered at Taiping Prison as evidence of systemic failures in the prison’s management and administration.
The inquiry found that the death of inmate Gan Chin Eng on Jan 17, 2025, constituted a serious violation of human rights. The panel identified violence against Gan, delays in providing medical treatment, negligence in medical care, and the lack of emergency medical facilities as factors that contributed to his death.
The findings followed a public inquiry that spanned more than three months, with hearings held between June 9 and Sept 22, 2025.
Conducted at the Kamunting Correctional Centre in Taiping, Perak, and Suhakam’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, the inquiry heard testimony from 50 witnesses before a panel comprising Suhakam chairman Datuk Seri Hishamudin Yunus, Datuk Mariati Robert and Dr Farah Nini Dusuki.
The inquiry also examined the circumstances surrounding Gan’s death. He allegedly suffered abdominal injuries caused by blunt-force trauma during a prison transfer operation on Jan 17, 2025, as first reported by Twentytwo13 columnist and criminologist Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy on Jan 25.
The Public Inquiry Panel found that prison officers inflicted excessive physical violence on remand inmates during a transfer operation from Hall B to Block E. The violence also extended to detainees housed in Block B.
Hishamudin, who headed the inquiry panel, said the failures extended beyond individual misconduct and reflected deep-rooted weaknesses within the prison system and several government agencies.
Among its recommendations, the panel called for separate and transparent police investigations into violence allegedly committed against detainees, as well as investigations into false police reports allegedly lodged by prison management and officers following the incident that resulted in Gan’s death.
The inquiry also recommended action against prison officials who provided false testimony during the proceedings and urged the Malaysian Prisons Department to take disciplinary action against management-level officers and prison staff found to have breached prison laws, regulations and procedures.
The panel further recommended that the Health Ministry and the Malaysian Medical Council investigate the conduct of the prison’s medical officer and assistant medical officer over alleged negligence and breaches of professional responsibilities.
In one of its most significant recommendations, the inquiry called for the closure of Taiping Prison, which was built in 1879 and gazetted as a heritage building.
The panel said a new prison should be constructed elsewhere, noting that restoration works on the existing facility would be costly, impractical and uneconomical. It added that the prison’s heritage status limited structural modifications and rendered it unsuitable for safely housing inmates.
The inquiry also recommended abolishing the use of the “bucket system” in prisons, strengthening healthcare independence by placing prison medical officers under the supervision of the Health Ministry, and improving staff training in emergency healthcare, human rights standards, emotional control and the proper use of force.
It further renewed calls for Malaysia to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture and enact specific anti-torture legislation.
The findings stem from public hearings held between June and September last year at the Kamunting Correctional Centre and Suhakam’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 50 witnesses testified during the inquiry.
On Dec 19, 2025, prison warden Ryndee O’Nel Victor was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with Gan’s death. He claimed trial at the Taiping Magistrate’s Court.
