Press Statement
Criminal investigation against Nurul Izzah is without basis
26 November 2015
Lawyers for Liberty views with extreme concern the continuous vilification against Nurul Izzah after photographs of her with Jacel Kiram, the daughter of self-proclaimed Sulu sultan Jamalul Kiram III came to light. To make matters worse, she is now the subject of criminal investigation, among others, preposterously for ‘treason,’ an offence which does not exist under Malaysian law.
Having dinner or having photographs taken with anyone is not a criminal offence. It may be a faux pas in this particular incident but it is certainly not a matter for criminal investigation.
It is a gross exaggeration to link an innocuous dinner hosted by various offices in the Philippines where she was invited as a guest together with many other guests – with the Lahad Datu armed incursions in 2013.
The purported investigation against Nurul Izzah for Penal Code offences under Chapter VI, Offences against the State is clearly without basis, carried out with ulterior motives and should be dropped immediately.
We call on the police to go back to basics – to be a professional, impartial and competent police force in maintaining law and order, preventing and detecting real crimes and apprehending real criminals rather than be concerned with political offences involving the government’s political adversaries.
Released by:
Eric Paulsen
Executive Director
Lawyers for Liberty
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