No law to charge priest with treason in ‘Allah’ row, say lawyers

Malaysia does not have a law to prosecute a Catholic priest for treason against the Selangor ruler by ignoring a royal decree not to use the word “Allah”, say criminal and human rights lawyers. They said that treason did not apply in Malaysia where the Federal Constitution reigns supreme despite calls by several conservative Muslim…

Spotlight on Jais powers after Selangor raid

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 — After the surprise raid and seizure of Malay and Iban language bibles yesterday, several lawyers are now questioning the extent of the Selangor Islamic Religious Department’s (Jais) power to enforce a ban on “Allah” against non-Muslims in the state. They also poured doubt on the validity and constitutionality of the…

Newsmen to protest in support of Heat

KUALA LUMPUR: Online journalists have vowed to hit the streets on Jan 4 to put pressure on the government to lift the suspension on the weekly newspaper, The Heat. They also want an investigation on the police brutality against journalists during Bersih 3.0 in 2012. Gerakan Media Marah (Geramm), a coalition of online new agencies,…

Lawyers: Jais has no jurisdiction over non-Muslim affairs

PETALING JAYA: You’re conducting a worship session with your pastor and neighbours at home when someone knocks on your gate. You are told that they are from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) and they are there to check on a report that words such as “Allah” are being used at the worship session. Do…

Government hunting Shiah for political mileage, says lawyers’ group

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 — Putrajaya and Malaysia’s religious authorities are only interested in political gain by demonising and prosecuting Shiah Muslims, rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) claimed today amid an ongoing crackdown here on Islam’s second largest sect members. In accusing the authorities of abusing their power, LFL co-founder and advisor Eric Paulsen…

Legal community praises government over withdrawal of amendment Bills

PETALING JAYA: The legal community Wednesday praised the Government for withdrawing two contentious Bills from Parliament for fine-tuning.   In a phone interview, Christopher Leong said the Bar Council welcomed the withdrawal of the Evidence (Amendment) Bill and the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) (Amendments) Bill.   The Bar Council president said the proposed amendment allowing…

Lawyers agree more transparency needed in elevation of judges

he Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) needs to be more open and transparent on the promotion of judges, said human rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL). LFL’s co-founder and adviser Eric Paulsen told The Malaysian Insider that currently there is no real transparency in the appointment and promotion of judges. “One of the easiest indicators to…

‘Revoke suspension against Surendran’

PETALING JAYA: Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) today urged the Dewan Rakyat to revoke its suspension against PKR MP N Surendran, claiming the suspension was mala fide and illegal. “Surendran’s suspension is a mockery of our supposedly most august House which is fast losing its lustre, respect and public confidence,” said LFL adviser Eric Paulsen. On…

Families sue police over shooting of three youths in 2010

Three families who lost their sons in a police shoot-out three years ago are suing the police and the government for negligence and breach of statutory duty. The suit was brought by the families of Mohd Shamil Hafiz Shafie, 15, Mohd Khairul Nizam Tuah, 20, and Mohd Hanafi Omar, 22, who were gunned down in…

Deregistering Muslim lawyers group against civil rights, LFL tells Karpal

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — Civil rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) disagreed today with Karpal Singh’s suggestion to deregister the Muslim Lawyers Association (MLA) and all other race-based bodies, reminding the DAP chairman that freedom of association is a basic human right. Taking to Twitter to voice its objection to Karpal’s views, the LFL…