Malaysian policeman gets 3 years over man’s death
Jun 11, 2012, 9:04 AM
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – A Malaysian court has sentenced a policeman to three years in prison for assaulting a detainee who died in a high-profile brutality case.
The death of 22-year-old Ananthan Kugan in 2009 sparked protests by ethnic Indian Malaysians who accused police of often unfairly targeting their minority community.
Malaysia’s High Court convicted police constable Vivekanandan Navindran on Monday of causing grievous hurt to Kugan. The court had earlier overturned Navindran’s acquittal by a lower court.
Witnesses claimed Navindran beat Kugan with a rubber hose while he was detained for suspected car theft. Kugan died four days later.
Rights activists have repeatedly accused Malaysia’s police of using excessive force that resulted in numerous deaths in custody. But few officers have been convicted of brutality.
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