In a statement, the commission said the inquiry would look into the nature and extent of the purported violations and examine how and why they occurred.

The inquiry will also zoom in on the parties responsible for such violations and come up with recommendations to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.

Suhakam said that the inquiry, to be held in two phases from June 9 to 12 and June 23 to 26, would involve its chairman Hishamudin Yunus and commissioners Mariati Robert and Farah Nini Dusuki.

“If the need arises, additional dates will be announced at a later stage,” it said.

It added that members of the public were welcome to attend the proceedings.

There were claims that over 60 prison wardens had assaulted more than 100 prisoners in Taiping prison earlier this year.

The families of the victims had lodged reports, claiming that they were barred from visiting the detainees, with the prison giving the excuse that the inmates were undergoing quarantine.

The prisons department, for its part, confirmed that a “provocation” had occurred involving a number of inmates being transferred from the Batu Gajah correctional facility to the Taiping prison.

On Jan 27, federal police said they would be investigating the matter. Suhakam launched an investigation of its own the following month.