The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) will be setting up two new working groups, one on the media and the other on prison visits, bringing the number of working groups to six.

Prof Hamdan Adnan today said fellow commissioner Zainah Anwar will chair the Information and Public Affairs working group while he himself will head the Prison Visits working group.

The four other working groups include Education, Law Reform, Treaties and International Instruments and Complaints and Inquiries.

"The idea of the media working group was mooted to make us more sensitive to the media so that we do not miss reported issues pertaining to human rights as well.

"The Prison Visits working group on the other hand is to make sure that local prisons are consistent with human rights treaties with regard to their condition," Hamdan said.

Kesas inquiry out soon

He added that the working groups are consistent with the Human Rights Commission Act which allows for Suhakam to release statements to the press as well as visiting prisons or places of detention.

When asked about the upcoming report on the Nov 5 100,000 People's Gathering on the Kesas highway, Shah Alam, sponsored by Keadilan, he said that the report would be finalised soon.

The report is the result of a five-month long inquiry that began on Nov 29 last year after participants alleged police brutality at the gathering. Witnesses included two PAS members of Parliament, Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and a 17-year-old student and police officers.

The police had also alleged brutality on the part of the participants, claiming that an officer from the Special Branch had been assaulted.

When asked if the 12-member commission had discussed the issue of student activist Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin who has been detained under the Internal Security Act for 19 days, Hamdan said that the matter was now under review.

Khairul was arrested on July 5 for allegedly posing a "threat to national security".

The second-year electrical engineering student with Institut Kemahiran Mara was given a show-cause letter which alleged that he had been involved in reformasi activities, instigated students to participate in reformasi activities and joined a gathering protesting the closing down of SJK (C) Damansara.