Press Statement Asean and other state leaders must raise Anwar’s status as prisoner of conscience 19 November 2015 Lawyers for Liberty calls upon Asean leaders and other state leaders attending the 27th Asean Summit this week including Japan, China, India and the United States to raise Anwar Ibrahim’s status as prisoner of conscience with the Malaysian government. As…
Press Statement Abolish mandatory death penalty for all offences 18 November 2015 Lawyers for Liberty welcomes de facto Law Minister Nancy Shukri’s reply in Parliament yesterday that the government is planning to abolish the mandatory death sentence for drug offences and reinstate the judges’ discretion in sentencing. We are however concerned that the…
Press Statement Stop targeting children for political offences 9 November 2015 Lawyers for Liberty is shocked and appalled at the police for targeting the children of Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali and grassroots activists Nashita Md Noor and Bad Latif Mansor for attending the Bersih 4 rally in August. The investigation against the 15 year-old-boy…
Press Statement Raids on Malaysiakini and The Star high handed and unnecessary 9 November 2015 Lawyers for Liberty views with extreme concern the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) raid on Malaysiakini and The Star on 6 November and today over news reports of an alleged “transfer” of a Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP)…
The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and police raided the offices of Malaysiakini and Star Online in Petaling Jaya this evening. It was learnt that a team of 10 officers from both enforcement agencies entered the Malaysiakini’s premises about 5.15pm. The raid is said to be over a Malaysiakini’s report that a Malaysian Anti-Corruption…
A federal lawmaker vowed to continue fighting for the repeal of the Sedition Act after the Dewan Rakyat today rejected an emergency motion on the law. PKR MP Shamsul Iskandar put in the motion following the latest charge against Subang MP R. Sivarasa under the act for remarks against the judiciary in the jailing of…
Amnesty International has declared Khalid Ismath a “prisoner of conscience” and launched a campaign for people across the globe to write in to call for his release. The prepared letter called on the authorities to “immediately and unconditionally release Khalid Ismath, a prisoner of conscience, who has been detained solely for the peaceful exercise of…
The Opposition will challenge Lim Kit Siang (DAP – Gelang Patah)’s six-month suspension from the Dewan Rakyat. DAP was of the view that the suspension was against Parliament’s Standing Orders, said Gobind Singh Deo (DAP – Puchong). “We will file a motion, and we hope the motion will come up for debate,” he said at…
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — Subang Member of Parliament (MP) R. Sivarasa was charged in the Sessions Court here today with uttering seditious words during the #KitaLawan rally in the city last March. Sivarasa, however, pleaded not guilty and claimed trial after the charge was read by the court’s interpreter before Judge Azman Mustapha. The MP…
Press Statement SOSMA misused against Khairuddin and Matthias 12 October 2015 Lawyers for Liberty is shocked and outraged at the criminal charges against Khairuddin Abu Hassan and his lawyer Matthias Chang under section 124L of the Penal Code and for them to be tried under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA). The duo were charged with attempting…
Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan and his lawyer Matthias Chang have vowed to fight on for the truth after they were charged for attempting to sabotage banking and financial services in the country. Clad in orange lockup uniforms, both of them were escorted into the Magistrates Court while waving and exchanging greetings as they were…
Activist Khalid Mohd Ismath has been rearrested under the Sedition Act 1948 and remanded today for four days over an alleged tweet criticising the detention of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) critic Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan and lawyer Matthias Chang. News portal Malaysiakini reported that Khalid was first detained Wednesday in Johor Baru under the Communications…
PUTRAJAYA, Oct 8 — The Federal Court has overturned today the Court of Appeal’s landmark decision declaring an anti-crossdressing Shariah law unconstitutional and void, setting back the transgender community’s struggle for its civil rights. The five-man bench led by Justice Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif set aside the judgments made by the High Court and…
Law professor Dr Azmi Sharom will have to stand trial for sedition after the Federal Court today dismissed his move to challenge the constitutionality of the Sedition Act 1948. The apex court today declared the law enacted under British rule was constitutional. Today’s ruling will impact some 30 politicians, government critics and activists who have…
Press Statement 6 October 2015 Sedition Act remains antiquated, illiberal and undemocratic despite Federal Court verdict Lawyers for Liberty is extremely disappointed with the Federal Court’s Azmi Sharom verdict today that upheld the constitutionality of the Sedition Act despite its manifest antiquated, illiberal and undemocratic nature. Most modern states in the world have either repealed…