PUTRAJAYA (Jan 20): The government was unsuccessful in the Court of Appeal today in its bid to reverse the High Court ruling that the arrests of six lawyers and activists during the 2007 Human Rights Day Walk in Kuala Lumpur were unlawful. The lawyers and activists, meanwhile, also failed in their appeal over the quantum…
Civil society must pressure Putrajaya to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project, following the acquittal of two former ministers of cheating, a lawyers’ group said today. Lawyers for Liberty adviser Eric Paulsen said a respectable panel would be able to shed light on…
The Attorney General must review whether Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah (pic) is “fit and proper” to lead the prosecution seeking to set aside Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s acquittal for sodomy after a court decided the Umno lawyer was guilty of professional misconduct, says a lawyers group. Lawyer for Liberty adviser Eric Paulsen said although…
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — The Najib administration is pandering to Malay-Muslim hardliners with its surprise ban on a 54-member coalition of human right advocacy groups despite previously associating with it, lawyers have said. Three lawyers polled also insisted the government cannot arbitrarily outlaw a coalition under the Societies Act 1966, and must deal with…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 — A legal ban on the non-Muslim use of “Allah” that is so far administrative could now force its way into the worship of Christians, as Selangor Islamic authorities seek out those they say are illegally using the word reserved for Muslims by state law. The action could also further reveal…
The National Union of Journalists and human rights group Lawyers for Liberty have condemned Putrajaya for the indefinite suspension of newsweekly The Heat, saying its action contradicted the meaning of democracy. NUJ president Chin Sung Chew said Malaysia as a democratic country should uphold the practice of media freedom. “The media is the Fourth Estate…
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…
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…
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…
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…