KUALA LUMPUR – The government must ensure that it carries out whipping or caning punishment to prisoners under the manner and standards practised by the shariah criminal procedure if Malaysia is to continue with such punishment, suggested rights group Malaysians Against The Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet).
The group’s spokesman, Charles Hector Fernandez, said in a statement that caning and whipping punishments done according to the shariah criminal procedure are more humane and less likely to cause bodily harm, permanent damage or death.
His proposal came after the death of Zaidi Abd Hamid, an inmate in Pokok Sena Prison in Kedah, who died on October 7 – less than two weeks after he was whipped.
Hector lamented that while many countries such as India and the United Kingdom have long abolished whipping, Malaysia and 14 other countries are yet to do so.
Highlighting that even the Islamic kingdom of Saudi Arabia abolished it in 2020, he called upon Malaysia to abolish the punishment, especially the kind of whipping in the administration of criminal justice.
“After the reported death caused by whipping, it was most disappointing that Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim and the current government failed to immediately place a moratorium on all whippings.
“Pending abolition, Madpet proposes (that) if Malaysia still wants to retain and carry out this cruel punishment of whipping, at the very least, ensure that any or all whippings are carried out the Islamic way which is certainly more humane and less likely of killing anyone or causing serious injury,” added Hector.
According to the Prisons Department, Zaidi complained of feeling unwell on October 4, nine days after his whipping sentence was carried out on September 25. Acting on the complaint, the prison continued to carry out examinations through intensive treatment by medical officers.
The inmate was then taken to Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar on October 7 for further treatment before he was confirmed dead, Bernama reported.
“The preliminary post-mortem report stated that the cause of death was due to bacterial infection in the blood,” the department was quoted as saying. – October 13, 2024