Aliran Media Statement
Let the Reformasi Six enjoy their legitimate freedom
It is very compelling for the government to grant these prisoners of conscience their overdue freedom considering that their detention all this while has been declared as being illegal by the Federal Court, and the fact that the Advisory Board has recommended their release.
It is a crying shame that these six men have been detained solely on the basis that their political views are opposed to the one preferred by the ruling coalition party. This inclination of the Malaysian government to lock away critics, poses the crucial question of whether the government truly believes in democracy where dissent and opposing views have a place in the sun.
This injustice has become so glaring that parliamentarians the world over, including Britain and Japan, have also joined civil society groups in and outside the country in their chorus of protest against this unwarranted detention.
As if this injustice isn't enough to be meted out against the Six, the recent ugly incident in the Kamunting detention centre that allegedly resulted in the beating up of two of the detainees by the prison personnel only adds insult to injury.
It needs to be said that in a country like Malaysia where religious - particularly Islamic - values are supposed to be cherished and practised by the powers-that-be, detaining individuals without giving them their legitimate right to defend themselves is not only unjust but runs counter to the very principles of Islam and other religious traditions.
In view of the immense injustice that has befallen upon the Reformasi Six, Aliran calls upon the government to search its conscience and decide what is only morally right i.e. free them unconditionally.
Mustafa K Anuar
This statement was sent to the local media including The Star, New Straits Times, and The Sun.
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