Charles Hector of Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture said it was against procedure for an accused person to be held in a lock-up. The man, who was waiting for his trial to end, should have been returned “to his place of detention at the prison complex, possibly Taiping prison, and not placed in any police lock-up”.

Hector said police lock-ups are only for suspects remanded for investigation.

He called on the government to pay compensation to detainees who were left in prisons for years while waiting for their trials to end, but were later found not guilty.

“Great injustice happens when these detainees are later found not guilty, and Malaysia at present still does not compensate the innocent for their years of lost liberties and freedoms,” he said.

About 25.8% of those in prison, or 13,000 people, were those in the midst of their trials, he said.

He also called for inquests to be held immediately on all remaining cases of death in custody.

Federal police have said two policemen and two inmates at the Taiping lock-up have been arrested in connection with the 63-year-old’s death and have been remanded until Jan 20.

Parliament was told recently that there were 79 deaths in police custody from January 2015 until September 2021.

Hector said only 20 inquests have been done, 17 cases are with the public prosecutor’s office, 12 are still being investigated and the police have classified 30 under ‘No Further Action’.