For its work in defending victims of unlawful police conduct, a citizen watchdog group known as the Police Watch and Human Rights Committee has been awarded the 2002 Suaram human rights award.

Suaram coordinator S Arutchelvam said the police watch committee had been chosen based on its work to protect and obtain redress for the vulnerable and poor whose rights have been violated as a result of unlawful police conduct.

"The group had succeeded in creating a strong sentiment among the affected community. This newfound awareness has led more people into asserting their rights, making complaints and seeking redress when they or their family members are unlawfully arrested, remanded, beaten or killed," he explained in his introduction address.

The award winner was announced after the release of the executive summary of Suaram's annual Civil and Political Rights report, in conjunction with World Human Rights Day which falls tomorrow, Dec 10.

Since 1999, the human rights organisation had been awarding the annual prize to communities or groups of people who have struggled "persistently and relentlessly in defending their rights".

Threatened with arrest

According to Arutchelvam, the police watch committee was selected based on the work it has done in highlighting issues of police brutality, police shooting and deaths in custody.

Among the key tasks undertaken by the group were its efforts in mobilising family members of victims, providing pro bono (free of charge) legal representation to the poor, and the creation of public awareness to the issues at hand.

"The many complaints, memoranda and police reports exposing the wrongdoings of the police have created much publicity and attracted the interest of the public and the Human Rights Committee of Malaysia (Suhakam)

"Awareness is higher and optimistically, the police have been affected to a limited extent," said Arutchelvam, referring to several memoranda on 'deaths in custody' and 'trigger-happy police' submitted to parliamentarians, the Inspector-General of Police and the Chief Justice.

In addition, he also commended the group for taking on the "controversial and highly-charged" task of taking on the police.

"In their many confrontations with the police, hospital (staff) and magistrates, the group encountered massive amounts of red tape, apathy and general disregard for accountability and transparency.

The police on several occasions threatened them with arrest and legal action," he said.

Past winners

While accepting the award, chairperson of the police watch committee R N Rajah said the two-year-old group will continue to fight to ensure that the rights of all Malaysians are protected.

"Awards like this keep us going in our quest to seek redress for those who lost their lives while in police custody as well as for their families," he said.

Four others nominated for the award are:

(1) Save our School (SOS) committee for continuously fighting to reopen the original SJK(C) Damansara School;

(2) Orang Asli community of Bukit Tampoi, Nilai, who won a landmark court case against the government for compensation of their land;

(3) Ladang Stratshila community of plantation workers for fighting eviction and finally obtaining alternative land for their homes from the developer

(4) Malaysiakini for continuing to publish "only the news that matters"

Since the inception of the human rights award, previous winners include the Kampung Sungai Nipah community fighting against eviction (1999), the Reformasi movement (2000), and last year's joint winners the Damansara school SOS committee with ISA family support group.

To read more on trigger-happy cops, click here