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Four years ago this week, Illias Othman died in the Raja Perempuan Zainab (II) Hospital in Kota Baru, Kelantan five hours after being arrested on 21 March 2006.  

Then 41 years old, the mechanic had been arrested by officers from the Binjai Police Station for creating a disturbance at the Kampung Pengkalan Datu mosque.  He reportedly died of head and body injuries but his family claimed that he had been beaten in custody.  However, according to the police, Illias Othman died after he was allegedly beaten by hospital attendants who attempted to restrain him when he “ran amok”.

Five hospital attendants were charged, and four pleaded not guilty to the charges at the Kota Baru Sessions Court.  The then-SUHAKAM Commissioner, Datuk N Siva Subramaniam, said this showed the police have taken action against those involved.

An inquest into Ilias Othman’s death was scheduled to commence in October 2007 but it is not clear whether it took place and 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.  Ilias Othman’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 Illias Othman’s family and friends on this anniversary of his death.