Press Statement Cease the harassment and unconditionally release both Australian journalists 13 March 2016 Lawyers for Liberty views with extreme concern the arrest of Australian journalist Linton Besser and camera operator Louis Eroglu from the ABC Four Corners current affairs show last night in Kuching, Sarawak. Although both of them have been released, their passports were seized…
Press Statement Migrant workers are in Malaysia to work, not commit crimes or misbehave 17 February 2016 Lawyers for Liberty views with extreme concern the rising xenophobic and racist sentiments expressed against the government’s plan to bring in 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers over the next three years. While they are right to question…
Press Statement Federal Court’s compromised justice in S. Deepa’s custodial dispute 11 February 2016 Lawyers for Liberty welcomes the Federal Court ruling yesterday in S. Deepa’s case that the civil court has exclusive jurisdiction to grant divorce, including custody, care and access of children where one spouse has unilaterally converted to Islam. In addition, the…
Press Statement Laws should not be amended or enforced arbitrarily to protect the government 10 February 2016 Lawyers for Liberty views with extreme concern Attorney General Apandi Ali’s suggestion to amend the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA) to include life imprisonment and 10 strokes of the cane as punishment against whistle-blowers and members of…
Press Statement On the one year anniversary of Anwar Ibrahim’s imprisonment 9 February 2016 Tomorrow, 10 February 2016 is the one year anniversary of Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy charge conviction at the Federal Court, after a trial and appeal process that were widely condemned, sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment. Anwar’s incarceration at Sungai Buloh prison remains…
Press Statement Undemocratic and counterproductive to block critical websites and blogs 28 January 2016 Lawyers for Liberty views with extreme concern the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC) heavy handed and liberal use of its powers to block numerous websites and blogs critical of the government, especially on issues concerning 1MDB, corruption and Prime…
Press Statement Reform the Attorney-General’s role and make him accountable to Parliament 27 January 2016 Lawyers for Liberty views with extreme concern the actions of Attorney-General Apandi Ali in clearing Prime Minister Najib Razak from any criminal wrongdoing regarding the RM2.6 billion that were channeled into the Prime Minister’s bank accounts and SRC International Sdn…
Press Statement Questionable legality of the National Security Council’s military personnel deployment 21 January 2016 Lawyers for Liberty views with extreme concern the recent decision of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by the Prime Minister that sought to deploy joint patrols of the police and military personnel in public and tourist areas, in…
Press Statement The NSC Bill will not make Malaysia safer from terror attacks 20 January 2015 The #TakNakDiktator Coalition is shocked and appalled at Prime Minister Najib Razak’s opportunistic view when he claimed that the National Security Council (NSC) law would enable the government to deal with terror threats in the country more efficiently in…
Press Statement Judiciary cannot escape close scrutiny of its conduct and judgments 13 January 2016 Lawyers for Liberty views with extreme concern Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria’s press conference at the 2016 Legal Year event on 8 January 2016 where he was reported to have said that judges can accept genuine criticism, but not name-calling…
Press Statement Abuse of power and overkill to bar Indonesian activist from entering Malaysia 7 January 2016 Lawyers for Liberty is shocked and appalled that prominent Indonesian ‘reformasi’ activist Mugiyanto was barred from entering the country today at KLIA 2 airport and deported back to Indonesia. As no clear reasons were given for…
Press Statement Government must resolve the protracted issue of unilateral religious conversion of children 3 January 2016 We are extremely disappointed that the judiciary has once again failed to uphold the constitutional rights of M. Indira Gandhi, thus leaving non-Muslim individuals in similar predicament with no recourse to justice. On 30 December 2015, the…
Press statement Sedition investigation against Noor Farida is shameful and outrageous 18 December 2015 Lawyers for Liberty is outraged at the latest sedition investigation against G25 spokesperson Noor Farida, for her call for legal reform of the Syariah laws concerning khalwat (close proximity). The sedition investigation on Noor Farida is a clear example of the…
Press Statement Focus on the National Security Council Bill 17 December 2015 Civil society engagement with lawmakers is an important part of the democratic process that must be recognised and respected by parliamentarians and senators alike. At a time when the nation is facing its greatest challenge with the National Security Council Bill…
Press Statement Peaceful Assembly Act prohibition of “street protest” challenged 17 December 2015 Accused persons for two Peaceful Assembly Act cases have filed applications under section 30 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964 to refer a constitutional question to the Kuala Lumpur High Court. The applications were filed this afternoon at about 2:30 pm at…