The basic rights of Malaysians as guaranteed in the Federal Constitution have been undermined over the years due to a weak judiciary, a civil rights lawyer said yesterday. N. Surendran, who is also PKR vice-president, said one such example was the freedom to assemble peacefully but this right was denied in the repealed Police…
Press Statement Landmark Court of Appeal judgment in Nik Nazmi vs Public Prosecutor 25 April 2014 Lawyers for Liberty welcomes the Court of Appeal’s landmark Nik Nazmi vs Public Prosecutor decision today that declared section 9(5) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, a provision that penalises organisers of peaceful assemblies with a fine of up…
Press Statement Implementing hudud would be unconstitutional Lawyers for Liberty views with extreme concern PAS’ attempt to table a private member’s bill in Parliament in order to implement the Sharia Criminal Code (II) Enactment 1993, or hudud, in Kelantan. This is an extremely irresponsible act of political grandstanding, calculated to burnish PAS’ Islamic credentials, to…
Press Statement AG’s appeal against Anwar aimed at ending political career 14 April 2014 Lawyers for Liberty is shocked and appalled at the Attorney-General’s Chambers for appealing to enhance the five-year jail sentence imposed by the Court of Appeal against Anwar Ibrahim in what was clearly a trumped up and politically motivated conviction that has…
Press Statement: IGP must serve all Malaysians, or else resign 14 April 2014 Lawyers for Liberty is appalled at IGP Khalid Abu Bakar’s refusal to act against Muslim convert Izwan Abdullah when he snatched his son from his estranged wife S.Deepa who was recently granted custody by the Seremban High Court. The IGP should not…
10 April 2014 Lawyers for Liberty is surprised at Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri’s sudden announcement of the commencement of the permanent Coroners’ Court on15 April 2014 to replace the present inquest system (New Straits Times, 3 April 2014 – “Nancy: Coroner’s Court starts April 15”). Although we welcome the decision in…
25 March 2014 Lawyers for Liberty is outraged at the Federal and Sarawak governments’ decision to ban Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) members of Parliament Rafizi Ramli, Tian Chua and Saifuddin Nasution from entering Sarawak today in order to campaign for the Balingian by-election. This is not the first time members of the opposition or civil…
11 March 2014 LFL is shocked and extremely concerned with Karpal Singh’s sedition conviction and RM4,000 fine imposed by High Court Judge Azman Abdullah thus disqualifying him as member of Parliament (although the disqualification would be stayed until he has exhausted all legal appeals). We reiterate that making political or critical comments is not a…
Press Statement 7 March 2014 LFL is extremely shocked and appalled at the Court of Appeal’s ludicrous sodomy conviction and five years’ jail sentence against Anwar Ibrahim in what was clearly a trumped up and politically motivated charge that has been universally condemned. Anwar’s conviction merely reaffirms the return of iron fist authoritarian rule and…
Press Statement 6 March 2014 LFL is extremely concerned with the unholy haste in which our judiciary had fast tracked the Public Prosecutor’s appeal against Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy case – a trumped up and politically motivated charge that had been universally condemned. The sudden increase in judicial efficiency and swiftness to dispose off all matters…
Press Statement 21 February 2014 Karpal Singh’s sedition conviction reaffirms the return of authoritarianism and political persecution LFL is extremely concerned and shocked with the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s conviction of Karpal Singh for sedition where he now faces imprisonment up to 3 years and disqualification as member of Parliament. Making political or critical comments…
Press Statement 18 February 2014 LFL is extremely concerned but unsurprised with the High Court’s dismissal of Uthayakumar’s appeal against his sedition conviction and sentence of 30 months’ imprisonment. The Hindraf founder was convicted for writing a letter to former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2007 claiming ‘mini-genocide’ and ‘ethnic cleansing’ had been perpetrated…
Press Statement 31 December 2013 Lawyers for Liberty is outraged at the biased stance of the authorities especially the police when faced with the prospect of a peaceful assembly to be held at Dataran Merdeka on 31 December 2013, in protest of the alarming increase in prices of goods nationwide. We wish to remind the…
Press Statement 20 December 2013 Lawyers for Liberty is extremely concerned (although not surprised) with the Court of Appeal’s dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim’s application to disqualify private lawyer Muhammad Shafee from leading the Attorney General’s Chambers’ appeal against Anwar Ibrahim’s acquittal for sodomy. Shafee’s appointment as Deputy Public Prosecutor smacks of desperation and sets another…
Press Statement 17 December 2013 Lawyers for Liberty is extremely concerned with the continuing hate speech and demonisation of Shia Muslims in Malaysia where not a day goes by without state and religious authorities condemning and exaggerating the perceived threats posed by Shia and its followers. This renewed and coordinated campaign has led to two…