In Malaysia, Zara’s death stirs outrage at impunity culture
The 13-year-old’s mysterious death at a boarding school has unearthed simmering public frustration as protests erupt nationwide
The 13-year-old schoolgirl died in hospital on July 17, a day after she was discovered unconscious outside the dormitory of her Islamic boarding school in Papar, Sabah state. Police initially suggested she had fallen from the third floor – an assumption her family has refused to accept.
In the weeks since her death, Zara’s mother, Noraidah Lamat, has spearheaded a campaign for justice that has captured the nation’s interest. Through her lawyer, she previously revealed she had found suspicious bruises on her daughter’s back before burial and questioned why no postmortem had been performed.
Still, thousands rallied on Sunday afternoon in Zara’s quiet hometown of Sipitang – where most of the district’s 66,000 residents work in paper plantations, farming or fishing – to demand justice.