Noorizwan's death should be investigated as murder, says lawyer

KUALA LUMPUR: The death of Noorizwan Zulkefly, 42, in police custody should be investigated as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code, says Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) director and family lawyer Rania Aljunied.

She said the police statement that no internal organ injuries were found on Noorizwan was unacceptable and contradicted the findings of the post-mortem, which had been communicated to the family and police by a pathologist.

"Bukit Aman's claim that Noorizwan did not suffer any internal organ injuries is false and contradicts the pathologist's findings.

"The pathologist found extensive bleeding in the brain. This is a very serious internal injury that can cause death.

"There was also bleeding in the intestines, and the post-mortem photographs clearly show these injuries. The police were aware of these internal injuries," she said in a statement today.

Rania questioned how the police could claim that no internal injuries had been found despite being presented with the relevant evidence and findings.

She also rejected the police statement on the cause of death, saying it was misleading to the public.

"Based on the post-mortem report communicated to the family, it is clear that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.

"This finding was also conveyed to the police in the presence of the family. The finding of blunt force trauma cannot be changed by laboratory analyses of blood and other samples, which have yet to be completed.

"Why is Bukit Aman delaying matters and giving the public the impression that the cause of death remains uncertain? This is completely unacceptable to the family," she said.

Rania said the forensic findings were sufficient to warrant a murder investigation under Section 302 and called for the intervention of Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar.

She said referring the investigation to the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) would not help the family, as the commission did not have the authority to investigate criminal offences under Section 25(b) of the Independent Police Conduct Commission Act 2020.

"The family is therefore calling on the Attorney-General to intervene so that the case is investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code, with the investigation taken over by a special team from Bukit Aman appointed by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).

"We demand that the police personnel suspected of involvement be suspended and detained immediately to ensure evidence is preserved. The IGP must also explain why Bukit Aman claimed there were no internal injuries when the post-mortem showed otherwise," she said.