M'sian originally sentenced to death dies after being caned in prison

A Malaysian man has died after being punished with caning in a prison in Kedah, Malaysia.

12 strokes of the cane

MalaysiaKini reports that the 49 year-old man, Zaidi Abd Hamid, had been imprisoned at Pokok Sena Prison, in the northern Malaysian state of Kedah.

Zaidi had been initially sentenced to death in 2015 for an unspecified crime, but in 2023 Malaysia abolished the mandatory death penalty, as well as natural-life prison terms.

His sentence was revised on Sep. 10 to 33 years in prison and 12 strokes of the cane.

The caning sentence appears to have been carried out on a date towards the end of September or early October 2024.

Zaidi had been suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes, for which he was receiving medication.

These medical conditions are known to make healing from caning more difficult.

He had apparently experienced "severe bleeding" a week after caning, causing his family to be extremely concerned.

They asked prison officials to send him for medical treatment at a hospital, with his wife asking to visit him on Oct. 6 but was rejected.

Zaidi's family would not get the chance to see him again, as he died on the morning of Oct. 7.

Thorough post-mortem

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, Suhakam, confirmed to MalaysiaKini that a report regarding Zaidi's death had been lodged.

A human rights NGO, Hayat, has called for a thorough post-mortem and investigation in Zaidi's death.

MalaysiaKini quotes Hayat CEO Dobby Chew as saying that Zaidi's pre-existing conditions meant "he should have never been confronted with caning", as it might have caused more damage than was legally permitted.

Chew also questioned if the prison system had sufficient medical resources,  and that such a lack or delay in treatment might have contributed to Zaidi's death.

Chew said that the Malaysian government should be able to assure those subjected to caning that they would not suffer beyond the pain inflicted by the caning, or otherwise caning should not be part of the country's penal code.

Malaysian courts recently ruled that caning sentences should be carried out consecutively, all at once and up to a maximum of 24 strokes, as it is in Singapore.

Singaporean and Malaysian prisons have medical officials present during the punishment to check the prisoner's health.

Prisoners are also checked for pre-existing ailments, such as high blood pressure, and if the prisoner's health is deemed too poor to endure the punishment, the caning can be postponed, or should the health condition permanently rule out caning, the sentence can be revised.

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Top image via 三步 3sanpo/youtube