Film fest puts focus on ‘police brutality’ in custody

 

A short animated film tells the story of San and his friends who said they were beaten while in custody.

PETALING JAYA: Rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) has joined hands with FreedomFilmFest, an annual human rights documentary film festival on a campaign to urge Putrajaya to set up an Independent Police Complaints of Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

Part of the campaign included short animations and films that highlight police brutality against those held in custody.

One of the short animations, titled “Chilli Powder & Thinner” made by local artist Amir Landak was adapted based on a true story of a teenager, San (not his real name), who was arrested along with two other friends and who were beaten while in police custody.

The animation shows them being tied and beaten up, with various objects such as wooden sticks and rubber pipes being used on them before their bodies were smeared with chilli powder and coated with thinner.

“That is a culture of violence and abuse tactics to force suspects to confess,” said Suaram’s executive director Sevan Doraisamy at a forum after the premiere of the animation.

Sharon Wah, a member of the MISI Solidariti civil society group, said “the video carries a powerful message, showing that deaths in custody are more than just a matter of numbers and data”.

The campaigners urged the government to revive the Independent Police Complaints of Misconduct Commission Bill 2019, which sought to set up the watchdog body.

They said the number of custodial deaths in the country highlighted the need for the IPCMC, rather than its “watered down” replacement, the Independent Police Conduct Commission.

Suaram also launched a petition urging the home ministry to end police brutality and misconduct. The petition has gained over 30,000 signatures to date.

The petition said cases of sexual harassment at roadblocks, trivialisation of rape threats, intimidation of journalists and outspoken figures, inequality in MCO fines, and deaths in custody had been arising one after the other. - FMT

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