They also seek permission to be present when their clients lodge the reports.

Last Thursday, several detainees told a registrar at the Klang High Court that they had been assaulted by certain prison officers, and had suffered bodily injuries.

The court ordered that they be given proper medical treatment and advised the affected inmates to lodge police reports to pave the way for a formal investigation.

Rajesh Nagarajan, who represents two inmates, claimed that, following the court proceedings, the detainees were forced to record their statements within the confines of the prison and under the scrutiny of prison officers.

“They lodged a police report, but while doing so, they were surrounded by wardens and did not feel free to speak openly.

“So my clients are not satisfied. They want their lawyers to be present so they can file a proper police report without interference,” he told FMT.

Rajesh wants the prisons department to allow his clients to file a fresh report at a police station with him present.

Another lawyer, MV Yoges, who represents six detainees, claimed her clients were not allowed by a police officer to include key details in their reports, such as the identity of the perpetrators and the bodily injuries they had suffered.

“Despite the court advising the police to take the affected inmates to a police station to lodge a report, family members told us that only a basic report was taken while they were still in detention at the Sungai Buloh prison.

“During the filing of the report, the detainees were told to share certain details with the investigating officer later instead of having them documented in the report. The report only states that they were hit.

“Until today, no investigating officer has come to record their statements,” she said.

Yoges said that the detainees felt uneasy lodging a report in the presence of the very prison wardens they were accusing.

“It’s unfair to ask a victim to lodge a report while still in the custody of their alleged perpetrators.

The presence of lawyers makes a significant difference, as it gives clients the confidence to speak freely without fear.

“Most importantly, the report should not be filed within the vicinity of the prison,” she told FMT.

The inmates had staged a hunger strike earlier this month to protest their detention, which allegedly led to them being assaulted by prison officers who were seeking to end the strike.

Family members of several inmates also staged their own protest outside Sungai Buloh Prison in solidarity with the detainees.