KOTA KINABALU: The Coroner’s Court has upheld its ban on media coverage of the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir until all child witnesses have completed their testimony.
Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan made the ruling after Sabah prosecution director Nahra Dollah informed the court that the Attorney General’s Chambers would not permit media presence during this phase of proceedings.
Amir Shah stated that media practitioners could obtain information about the case from the involved lawyers after the inquest concludes.
Nahra Dollah and lawyers Datuk Ram Singh and Shahlan Jufri confirmed this arrangement following the fourteenth day of proceedings.
The prosecution had previously indicated it would seek instructions from Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar regarding media access once child witnesses began testifying.
Coroner Amir Shah had questioned whether media coverage could be permitted given the high-profile nature of the case.
The Evidence of Child Witness Act 2017 explicitly prohibits publishing any information that could reveal a child’s identity.
Media personnel have been excluded from the courtroom since Monday to protect child witnesses during their closed testimony.
Three student witnesses have already given evidence under these protected conditions.
A total of thirty-two additional child witnesses are expected to testify in upcoming sessions.
Eight adult witnesses have already testified, with twenty-five more scheduled to give evidence.
Zara Qairina, aged thirteen, was confirmed dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17 after being found unconscious near her school dormitory in Papar.
The Attorney General’s Chambers ordered the exhumation of Zara Qairina’s grave on August 8 to enable a post-mortem examination.
Following a review of the police investigation report, the Chambers ordered an inquest into the death on August 13. – Bernama
