5 Taiping prison wardens to be charged tomorrow over riot

PETALING JAYA: Five prison wardens will be charged tomorrow with assaulting three detainees in the Taiping prison riot last year that resulted in the death of one inmate, says Bukit Aman.

Federal criminal investigation department director M Kumar said one warden will be charged under Section 323 of the Penal Code with voluntarily causing hurt. Two other wardens will be jointly charged under the same provision.

Two more wardens will be jointly charged under Section 324 of the Penal Code with voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons.

“They will be charged tomorrow at 9am at the Taiping magistrates’ court in Perak,” Kumar said in a statement.

Kumar said another warden, Ryndee O’Nel Victor, had been charged in December with committing culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Gan Chin Eng, 62, at the prison.

More than 100 Taiping prison inmates were assaulted by about 60 wardens during a transfer exercise from Hall B to Block E on Jan 17 last year.

While Ryndee had been charged with causing Gan’s death, Suhakam called for criminal charges to be filed against other wardens involved in the incident following its public inquiry.

The human rights commission said its inquiry uncovered serious human rights violations involving detainees, and raised concerns over the conduct of prison personnel, institutional accountability, and safeguards in places of detention.