The National Human Rights Society (Hakam) said the findings pointed to systemic failures that went beyond a single facility, citing concerns over overcrowding, living conditions, institutional accountability and the treatment of detainees.
“A correctional system that fails to safeguard the dignity and rights of those under its control risks undermining both public confidence and the principles of justice it is intended to uphold,” Hakam president M Ramachelvam said in a statement.
Ramachelvam said prison reform should not be viewed solely through the lens of criminal justice, but also as a matter of human dignity, public policy and human rights.
He also said there is a public misconception that all prisoners had committed serious or violent crimes, and that harsh conditions were therefore justified.
However, he said, some inmates were held for minor offences such as unpaid fines or immigration violations.
“Imprisonment is itself the punishment imposed by the courts. Inhumane treatment, unsafe living conditions, violence, neglect, or degrading treatment should never form part of the sentence, regardless of the offence committed,” he said.
Ramachelvam also called on Malaysia to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Uncat), an international treaty that prohibits torture and degrading treatment, which the country has yet to sign.
He said the convention would provide important benchmarks for assessing prison conditions and the state’s obligations towards detainees.
More than 100 inmates at Taiping prison were assaulted by about 60 wardens during a relocation exercise from Hall B to Block E in January 2025. One of the detainees, Gan Chin Eng, died in the incident.
On Monday, Suhakam called for criminal charges to be filed against the officers involved, citing CCTV footage and witness testimony as clear evidence of wrongdoing.
Although a warden has already been charged with culpable homicide, Suhakam chairman Hishamudin Yunus said criminal investigations should be launched into other officers involved in the incident.
Suhakam also found that the prison management had gone ahead with the transfer despite knowing that Block E had serious structural damage and unsafe living conditions, which was why the inmates had refused to move.