Justice for Zara Qairina Mahathir
[Press Statement by Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement on 8 August 2025 in Kuala Lumpur]
Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement would like to draw attention to the tragic death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir. Zara was pronounced dead on 17th July, a day after she was found unconscious outside a dormitory building of her religious school in Sabah’s Papar district. According to preliminary findings, the police have found that Zara fell from the third floor of her school building.
However, the police investigation surrounding her untimely death deserves greater scrutiny and attention. Zara’s family has urged the Attorney General to direct a magistrate to conduct an inquest into Zara’s death. The family believed that there were serious flaws in the police investigation and this assertion is further supported by the fact that the Attorney General’s Chambers has since instructed the police to further investigate several matters.
According to the family, the autopsy report was nowhere to be seen and the police investigation appeared to be unprofessional and lackadaisical . For instance, Zara’s clothing was only retrieved by the police on 5th August – more than two weeks after the victim’s passing – for further investigation. Furthermore, the police apparently failed to document the victim’s bruises on the back until her mother mentioned it during her police statement.
Since then, the incomplete investigation has only invited allegations of a cover-up to protect high-ranking state officials. As an organisation that advocates for greater accountability of enforcement officials, we strongly support Zara’s family call for a full postmortem and inquest into her death.
As the police have found wanting in this issue, a judiciary inquest is increasingly the more independent method to determine Zara’s cause of death. An independent inquest is also another safeguard against executive interference and making sure that “no one is above the law” as the Prime Minister has recently stressed.
Finally, in the spirit of the Justice for Teoh Beng Hock movement, we would like to send our deepest condolences to Zara’s family and at the same time, our solidarity to the family that is determined to uncover the truth behind Zara’s death.
Ng Yap Hwa
Chairperson
Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement
还扎拉凯丽娜一个公道
[赵明福民主促进会文告，2025年8月8日于吉隆坡发出]
针对13岁的扎拉凯丽娜（Zara Qairina Mahathir）悲剧性死亡事件，赵明福民主促进会希望大众给予关注。扎拉于7月17日被宣告死亡，而她是在当天被发现在沙巴州吧巴一所宗教学校宿舍楼外昏迷。根据初步调查，警方发现扎拉是从学校大楼的三楼坠落。
然而，围绕她不幸死亡的警方调查需要更多的监督与关注。扎拉的家人已呼吁总检察长指示一名地方法官对扎拉的死亡进行死因调查。家人认为警方的调查存在严重疏漏，这一说法得到了总检察长办公室的进一步支持，后者已指示警方对几个问题进行更深入的调查。
根据家人的说法，死因调查报告一直未见踪影，而警方的调查似乎不专业且敷衍。例如，扎拉的衣物直到8月5日——即受害者去世两周后——才被警方取回进行进一步调查。此外，警方显然没有在第一时间记录下受害者背部的淤伤，直到她的母亲在警方声明中提到此事。
自那时起，调查不足引发了保护高官的指控。作为一个倡导执法人员更大问责的组织，我们强烈支持扎拉家人呼吁对她的死亡进行全面的死因调查。
由于警方在此问题上的失职，司法调查成为越来越独立的方式来确定扎拉的死亡原因。独立的调查也是对行政干预的另一道防线，并确保“没有人能凌驾于法律之上”，正如首相近期强调的那样。
最后，本着还赵明福公道运动的精神，我们向扎拉的家人致以最深切的慰问，并全力支持其家庭揭开扎拉死因真相的决心。
赵明福民主促进会主席
黄业华