Father of custodial death victim Syed Azlan dies

Syed Mohamed Nur, the father of custodial death victim Syed Mohd Azlan passed away today aged 73, without ever witnessing a conviction in the case of his son, who died on Nov 3, 2014 after sustaining 61 wounds at a police station.

NGO Eliminating Deaths and Abuse in Custody Together (Edict) issued a statement confirming the sad news.

This comes less than a month after Johor Baru High Court judge See Mee Chun found the police to be responsible for Syed Azlan's death and awarded his family RM448,000 in damages, and costs of RM60,000, both sums to be paid with interest from November 2014.

See concluded that the evidence showed Syed Azlan was a victim of “arbitrary and unconstitutional acts” by the police and that the award should serve as a reminder to the force.

"The 73-year-old was in poor health during the hearings, but he soldiered on and witnessed the decision in the civil suit. He hoped the decision would help prevent further abuse of police power," said Edict.

Syed Mohd Azlan, a welder, was arrested on Nov 3, 2014, after a police report was lodged over a brawl involving a firearm in September that year.

He was arrested by 13 police personnel, who ambushed the room he rented in Pengerang, Johor.

He was then taken to the Sungai Rengit police station and questioned on the brawl and if he had kept firearms.

During the questioning, he sustained 61 wounds in four hours. No firearm was found in a police search at his family home.

In Nov 2015, the Enforcement Agencies Integrity Commission (EAIC) found that the police personnel involved had committed crimes under Sections 302 (murder) and 325 (causing grievous hurt) of the Penal Code, and that they should be charged in a court of law.

The EAIC also found that police tried to tamper with evidence by cleaning the scene before a medical officer arrived, disposing a rubber mat and carpet stained with the deceased’s blood and hiding eye-witnesses to the arrest and detention.

However, despite this, police officers Weddrin Mojingkin, Joshua Perait and Muhammad Bunyamin were charged and later acquitted for culpable homicide (not amounting to murder).

"Shockingly, while the wheels of justice were turning, the leader of the team whose assaults caused the death of Syed Azlan was promoted," highlighted Edict today.

Edict also said that after the decision, they and the family's lawyer had written separately to the Attorney General's Chamber to ask for an assurance that the verdict would not be appealed.

However, they have yet to receive a response to this.

"Syed Mohd Nur died hoping the government would not file an appeal. His wife, Sharifah Kahlilah Sayed Sulaiman, 62, hopes for the same," Edict added.