A civil society human rights organisation has urged the Thai authorities to carry out an ‘independent’ investigation into the mysterious death in custody of a drug trafficking suspect.

On Tuesday, 17 November 2015, the Cross Cultural Organisation (CrCF), a civil society human rights organisation, issued a public statement about the sudden death of Anan Koedkaew, 34, a drug trafficking suspect who died mysteriously three days after interrogation.

Anan was arrested by investigators of Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Police on 9 November 2015.

Two days later, on 11 November, the police told his family that he had been transferred to Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital. He died on 13 November.

According to the post-mortem examination, the pathologists concluded that there were “physical injuries to the body” and the suspect’s “brain suffered from severe impact with hard objects.”

CrCF pointed out that from the autopsy results, there are sufficient reasons to suspect that Anan may have died from ill-treatment and torture in the hands of the police officers during interrogation.

The Thai authorities must carry out an ‘independent’ investigation into the suspect’s death, CrCF stated.

The civil society organisation added that an ‘independent’ and ‘detailed’ autopsy on the suspect should be carried out in accordance with Article 150 of the Criminal Procedure Code.    

As Thailand is a party state to the Convention Against Torture (CAT) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the police and Thai authorities must ensure that no suspect faces ill-treatment or any form of torture in custody, CrCF concluded.