Amnesty joins condemnation of Malaysia

[Ulhas Joglekar]

16 January 2000
Amnesty joins condemnation of Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Amnesty International has joined in the mounting condemnation
of Malaysia's crackdown on political dissent, accusing the government of
moving solely to curb and deter freedom of expression.
In a statement late Friday, the London-based human rights group described
the arrest of opposition leaders since Wednesday as "politically-motivated
misuse of restrictive laws."
On Friday, courts in the Southeast Asian nation charged three leaders with
sedition and leaking of state secrets. Two others, the editor and printer of
a widely circulated opposition newspaper, were charged with sedition on
Thursday. All five had been previously arrested and released on bail.
Prominent among those being prosecuted is Karpal Singh, a longtime critic of
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and defence attorney for jailed politician
Anwar Ibrahim.
Karpal is charged with sedition after he alleged during Anwar's sodomy trial
that "people in high places" had tried to poison his client.
Apart from Karpal, the deputy chairman of the Democratic Action Party, two
top leaders of another opposition group, the National Justice Party, are to
face trial for sedition and leaking government secrets.
"Amnesty International has long believed that the continued existence of an
array of restrictive laws in Malaysia ... poses a grave threat to
fundamental rights of freedom of expression, association and assembly," the
group said.
Malaysian opposition leaders have called for a campaign to persuade the
government to withdraw charges against the five opposition politicians.
Malaysia has been in political turmoil since Anwar was fired as Deputy Prime
Minister in September 1998. His subsequent arrest and corruption conviction
provoked anti-government demonstrations.
Anwar is now serving a six-year prison term and standing trial for sodomy.
He has denied all the charges against him and says he's the victim of a
political conspiracy to destroy both him and the growing movement against
Mahathir's 18-year lock on power.
Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Malaysia had the right to
administer its own laws without the help of international bodies. "The
international community must respect that Malaysia is exercising its rights,
its own laws," he told the national news agency Bernama. (Associated Press)
For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service
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