NOVEMBER 19 ― The Malaysian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all activists arrested for peacefully taking part in the Bersih 5 rally, calling for electoral reforms and accountability for corruption, Amnesty International Malaysia said today.
“Peacefully speaking up for electoral reform is not a security offence and should never be criminalised. The ongoing crackdown by the Malaysian authorities shows their willingness to invoke draconian laws to silence peaceful dissent and criminalise government critics,” said Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu, Executive Director of Amnesty International Malaysia.
Amnesty International considers the 12 individuals still in detention after a government crackdown on civil society activists to be prisoners of conscience. They have been arrested for peacefully expressing their beliefs.
The human rights organisation is particularly concerned about the decision to detain Bersih 2.0 chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah under the repressive Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012.
“Sosma tramples over human rights. It is being used to arbitrarily detain individuals and deny them access to lawyers and family members, in flagrant violation of fair trial standards. Under this highly repressive law, detainees have also been subject to torture and other ill-treatment,” said Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu.
“Maria Chin Abdullah and other prisoners of conscience must be released unconditionally and immediately. At the moment, the government’s priorities are all wrong. Instead of investigating allegations of corruption and rights abuses, they are silencing people for raising these concerns.”
Background
Besides Maria Chin, those currently detained include Mandeep Singh, S. Arutchelvan, Anis Syafiqah Mohd. Yusuf, Safwan Anang, Luqman Nul Hakim Zul Razali, Anthony Loke, Ronnie Liu, Lee Khai Meng, Jimmy Wong, Hishamuddin Rais and Fahmi Reza. Several individuals from the so-called “Red Shirts” movement have also been arrested
Maria Chin who is currently detained at the Jinjang police detention centre has been denied access to her lawyers.
The Sosma law was introduced in 2012 to “provide for special measures relating to security offences for the purpose of maintaining public order and security” and it gives the authorities wide-ranging and arbitrary powers.
The Act fails to meet international human rights standards in several key ways, including by allowing police to detain suspects incommunicado for up to 48 hours, increasing the risk of torture, and by allowing detention without charge or access to courts for up to 28 days. This extension is not subjected to judicial oversight. Section 5 of Sosma permits the police to delay a detainee’s access to legal counsel for up to 48 hours.
However Section 4(3) of the Sosma Act states that “no person shall be arrests and detained solely for his political belief or activity”.
*This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
