Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) welcomes the decision by the High Court in the case of Khairuddin Abu Hassan and his lawyer Matthias Chang.
The decision to reject the charges against Khairuddin Abu Hassan and Matthias Chang is a courageous step forward for the judiciary of Malaysia. While it is unfortunate that Khairuddin and Matthias would still have to stand trial for the crime of highlighting possible corruption in Malaysia, this small victory is still welcome news in these turbulent times.
Further, Suaram calls on the attorney general to consider dropping the charges filed against Khairuddin and Matthias as the court has rejected their ‘crimes’ as a security offence. Failure to do so would contravene the attorney general’s statement that prosecution would not take place unless he is certain of 99 per cent chance of conviction. In this case, the decision by the High Court clearly sided the 1 per cent and should thus be an end to this ill-advised misadventure.
On this note, Suaram reiterates our stance that laws such as Sosma that permit detention without trial are draconian and unconscionable laws that should not exist and MUST be repealed. The abuse of such laws in Malaysia is not uncommon and the case of Khairuddin and Matthias highlights the danger.
Lastly, draconian laws such as Sosma are not the way to protect the safety and security of Malaysia but are the first step in converting Malaysia into a police state. As Malaysians, we must not allow this to be our future!
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Sevan Doraisamy is executive director of human rights group Suaram.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
