SUARA Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) executive director Sevan Doraisamy has called for urgent action following the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission’s (EAIC) findings on the abuse of Rohingya detainees at the Immigration Detention Depot in Sungai Bakap (DISB).
On Wednesday (Oct 16), the EAIC said it completed its investigation into the escape of 131 Rohingya prisoners from DISB on Feb 1 and found that the prisoners mainly fled to escape incidents of extreme violence, physical and mental abuse they experienced at the depot.
“It is time for Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to own up to the reality of the torture, abuse, and inhumane conditions that detainees face in immigration detention and commit to comprehensive reforms that break this damaging cycle of evasion and neglect,” Sevan said.
Sevan also referenced a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, highlighting that the authority’s refusal to acknowledge such findings perpetuates a “cycle of denial and inaction” in Malaysia’s detention centres.
Thus, SUARAM called for the Home Ministry to form a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to reform immigration, particularly to address abuse in detention centres.
According to Sevan, the RCI must address systemic factors that lead to abusive conditions in detention centres.
“The Immigration Department’s reliance on procedural justifications continues to undermine any effort toward real accountability,” Sevan said in a statement last night (Oct 18).
Although the department claimed to adhere to international standards, several parties have consistently highlighted reports of violence, squalid conditions, and extortion, he added.
The incident made global headlines. – Oct 19, 2024
Main photo credit: HRW
