As the government comes under fire for using the soon-to-be abolished law to detain alleged terrorists, critics are told to let the police do their job. UPDATED PETALING JAYA: MCA today urged PAS and others not to politicise the recent arrest of 13 suspected terrorists in Tawau, Sabah, under the Internal Security Act (ISA). MCA Youth secretary-general Chai Kim Sen said the Islamic party should allow the police to investigate the matter thoroughly, instead of “quickly jumping to the defence of these people”. “It should be left to the police to decide whether the persons arrested are missionaries or terrorists,” Chai said in a statement. He added that the police had a reason to believe that Tawau was being used as a transit point for weapons from the Philippines. FMT reported yesterday that at least 10 people were arrested...
Read more »

On this year’s Malaysia Day, Prime Minister Najib Razak surprised the nation by announcing that the draconian Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) will be abolished in the hope of building a nation that “practices functional and inclusive democracy where peace and public order are safeguarded in line with the supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law and respect for basic human rights”. The announcement stands in stark contrast to the recent arrest of 11 individuals in Tawau, Sabah who have been accused of terrorism under the ISA despite Prime Minister’s undertaking that the draconian ISA to be abolished. It is important to be reminded that allegations made against individuals under the ISA remain mere allegations no matter how serious the nature of the said allegations is. These individuals have not been given any opportunity to challenge their detention...
Read more »

“Maka menerusi belas kasihan Tuhanlah kamu berlemah-lembut terhadap mereka. Sekiranya kamu bersikap keras lagi berhati kasar, tentulah mereka menjauhkan diri darimu. Maka maafkanlah mereka dan mohonkanlah ampunan bagi mereka; dan bermusyawarahlah dengan mereka dalam urusan awam…..”  Perbahasan mengenai homoseksualiti dan Islam bukanlah perkara asing dan taboo bagi para pengkaji dan pemikir. Daripada aspek hukum sehingga bagaimana masyarakat sewajarnya menyantuni isu ini telah dibahaskan dengan begitu panjang lebar oleh para sarjana. Sayangnya, sikap masyarakat Islam yang tidak berupaya mencedok dan menghadam perbahasan tersebut dengan berhati-hati telah menjejaskan imej yang ingin kita potretkan kepada Islam. Islam bukanlah agama hukuman sebagaimana yang difahami oleh kebanyakkan Muslim. Bahkan ia adalah agama yang penuh dengan kasih sayang dan mempromosikan keamanan sesuai dengan maknanya – sejahtera. Trend beragama di Malaysia sangat membimbangkan, kita terlalu rigid dan menyempitkan agama di dalam perkarangan masjid...
Read more »

Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) refers to the statement made by Perkasa representative Irwan Fahmi Ideris against the recently banned “Seksualiti Merdeka” annual festival and Bersih chairperson Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan’s scheduled involvement in officiating it. We are outraged at this display of prejudice and intolerance. Perkasa’s attack is against the freedom of speech and expression which is accorded to every individual as enshrined in the Federal Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We oppose any act of discrimination against individuals regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. It is imperative for the government to accord protection to all individuals who are subjected to discrimination which violates the right to life and security of persons. While we note that there are differences of opinions on, and approach to the issue of sexual diversity in particular homosexuality in all religions, it is a universally accepted fact that...
Read more »

Belum pun reda dengan kejayaan gerakan mahasiswa menekan Universiti Islam Antarabangsa untuk menarik balik penggantungan Prof. Dr Abdul Aziz Bari baru-baru ini. Mahkamah Rayuan telah mencatatkan satu lagi sejarah dalam gerakan mahasiswa apabila telah mengisytiharkan Seksyen 15(5)(a) Akta Universiti & Kolej Universiti 1971 bercanggah / ‘ultra-vires’ dengan Perkara 10 Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Hakim Dato’ Hishamudin Yunus di dalam penghakiman bertulisnya menyatakan peruntukan Seksyen 15(5)(a) akan memandulkan daya fikir kritikal dan sihat para mahasiswa. Universiti bukannya kilang untuk membiakkan para robot dan mesin pekerja, tetapi jauh lebih besar dari itu, ia adalah gedung melahirkan para pemikir dan reformis. Mahkamah Rayuan juga secara tidak langsung telah mengiktiraf hak-hak kebebasan asasi sebagai struktur asas dan roh di dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Mahasiswa telah melakar sejarah kegemilangannya satu ketika dahulu, sebagai agen pendesak dan pengimbang bagi pemerintah. Demonstrasi Baling, penubuhan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bahasa Melayu...
Read more »

The Court of Appeal today ruled that section 15(5)(a) of the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA) is in breach of Article 10 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees freedom of speech and expression. Section 15(5)(a) of UUCA prohibits students from expressing their support, sympathy or opposition to any political party and in breach of this section, universities have the power to take disciplinary action against the students. Lawyers For Liberty applauds the decisiveness of the Court of Appeal ruling in upholding the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and expression against the prohibition under section 15(5)(a) which impedes students’ participation in political activities. This ruling reaffirms the right to political participation which is crystalized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which have been the cornerstone of the...
Read more »

Lawyers for Liberty, as an organization that stands for human rights is appalled by recent statements made by former PM Mahathir and former IGP Rahim Noor. It seems that these well-known figures are getting away with making absurd and irresponsible statements such as likening the human rights struggle to communism. Indeed it comes as no surprise that Rahim Noor – who was once the country’s highest police officer would make such remarks. During his time in office, Rahim Noor was guilty of widespread human rights abuses carried out by his police force under his directions, particularly during the reformasi period. Nobody in their right mind can fathom his poor analysis in trying to dismiss human rights as a communism-like wave. However, a key prominent figure, former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir has joined the fray in support of Rahim Noor,...
Read more »

 Lawyers for Liberty once again calls upon Prime Minister Najib Razak not to dilute the protection that international law accords to  refugees. With the purported agenda of busting people smuggling and combating human trafficking, the Malaysian Government, has reiterated  its determination to revive the scandalous refugee swap deal despite the Australian High Court’s finding which declared the deal  illegal. Given the findings of the Australian High Court which found that the Minister in charge was unable to satisfy the Court that Malaysia  had met three important criteria that would deem it safe for asylum seekers, the Malaysian Prime Minister’s insistence that refugees are treated very well rings hollow.The safe third country criteria are that the country must a. be legally bound by international law or its own domestic law to: provide access for asylum seekers to effective procedures for...
Read more »

http://www.merdekareview.com/bm/news.php?n=12386 Fadiah Nadwa Fikri | Oct 24, 2011 11:16:57 pm Minggu lepas kita digemparkan dengan satu berita penggantungan seorang ilmuwan Undang-Undang Perlembagaan, Prof Dr.Abdul Aziz Bari oleh Universiti Antarabangsa Islam Malaysia.  Penggantungan tersebut adalah berikutan kenyataan beliau berkenaan batasan kuasa Sultan di bawah Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang merupakan undang-undang tertinggi di Malaysia. Secara peribadi, penggantungan Prof Dr.Abdul Aziz Bari oleh Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia bukanlah sesuatu di luar norma kerana Malaysia adalah terkenal sebagai sebuah negara yang mengekang hebat kebebasan berfikir dan bersuara. Kekangan terhadap kebebasan berfikir dan bersuara terzahir dalam undang-undang lapuk yang diwarisi dari zaman penjajah dalam usaha mengekalkan kekuasaan dan kepentingan golongan pemerintah. Persoalan yang sering bermain di fikiran saya adalah sejauh manakah kita akan tersasar dari perjuangan mempertahankan maruah dan budaya ilmu sekiranya gedung-gedung ilmu yang diamanahkan mempertahankan maruah dan budaya ilmu itu sendiri terjebak dalam permainan kotor...
Read more »

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 20, 2011): There is an urgent need for the government to set up a royal commission to investigate the death of Customs Department assistant director Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamad at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office here on April 6. His cousin, Makhtar Mansor, 53, who was representing the deceased’s family, said the request was made because Ahmad Sarbaini’s family could not accept the Coroner’s Court decision on Sept 29 that the death was a misadventure. He said the family would submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, demanding that the commission be set up. “His family cannot accept the decision at all. We believe there is foul play and we want the commission to investigate the case again,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here today. Also present were Ahmad Sarbaini’s parents,...
Read more »

THE family of the late Selangor Customs assistant director Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed is seeking a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into his death. Rejecting court findings that the death was “accidental”, the family claimed that there were elements of foul play in the incident. The deceased’s cousin Mokhtar Mansor said the family was willing to participate in the RCI if it was set up. “We want justice and the truth. We also want to clear his name,” he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby. Surendran said there were many suspicious elements including the deletion of 22 hours of CCTV recordings during the time Ahmad Sarbaini was in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office. By The Star, http://thestar.com.my 21 October 2011          
Read more »

The opposition takes a swipe at Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein for his response to the shooting of the three teenagers at Glenmarie last year. KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s one-paragraph written reply to a question seeking an update of the Glenmarie shootings involving three teenagers has drawn the ire of opposition parliamentarians. Puchong MP, Gobind Singh Deo, had asked for the outcome of the investigation into the shooting and subsequent actions that were taken against those found responsible for causing the death of the three teenagers. In a written reply, the Home Ministry said that investigations revealed that the police’s action of firing at the teenagers “was in accordance with the law”. It was also revealed that the matter was investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for “attempted murder”. It noted that the investigation papers had...
Read more »

Lawyers For Liberty strongly condemns the suspension of Prof Aziz Bari’s duty as professor of constitutional law at the International Islamic University of Malaysia regarding his comments on the scope and limitations of constitutional powers of the King. This is clearly a denial of his basic right to freedom of speech guaranteed under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution and the principles of academic freedom enshrined in free speech. The right to intellectual discourse, debate and articulation is an indivisible part of academic development and excellence. This suspension will certainly curtail world-class academic research and thought-provoking discussions, which Malaysian universities badly need to regain past glory.  Intellectualism, research excellence and academic freedom are pre-requisites for innovation and creativity to thrive, crucial for Malaysia to successfully transform itself into a developed nation that fully subscribes to democratic principles and human...
Read more »