By Julia Chan
KOTA KINABALU, Aug 12 — Lawyers representing the family of 13-year-old schoolgirl Zara Qairina Mahathir said the post-mortem following the exhumation of her body revealed signs of injury.
In a statement last night, counsels Shahlan Jufri and Mohd Luqman Syazwan Zabidi said the injuries were detected during the eight-hour autopsy but stressed that they would not disclose further details until the official medical report is released.
“To avoid discrepancies between the verbal findings conveyed to us and Zara’s mother after the post-mortem, and the official report that will be issued by the hospital, we will withhold further comment for now,” they said.
They expressed gratitude to the Attorney General’s Chambers for instructing police to seek a court order to exhume Zara’s remains, which were examined in the autopsy at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on August 10.
“We thank the Attorney General’s Chambers for directing the police to apply for the exhumation and post-mortem. We also appreciate the police’s close supervision during the entire process,” they said.
The lawyers also thanked members of the public, including journalists, who gathered at the cemetery and hospital grounds on Saturday from morning until night to witness the exhumation, reburial, and post-mortem.
“Your support means a great deal to us,” they said.
Zara’s death, initially believed to be the result of a fall at her dormitory, has sparked nationwide outrage, with calls for justice growing louder in recent weeks.
Public suspicion was fuelled by the absence of an initial autopsy and what was seen as a lack of transparency from the authorities. Speculation over bullying and an alleged cover-up involving families of influential “VIPs” — which has not been verified — further heightened anger.
Authorities have yet to confirm whether the injuries found in the preliminary examination were linked to foul play, although police have said they are also investigating the element of bullying.