Press Statement: 7th August 2013



SUARAM Secretariat Member investigated under Sedition Act 1948

SUARAM condemns selective persecution and use of the Sedition Act 1948 against Suaram Secretariat member and Human rights activist Ms Cynthia Gabriel under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act. We strongly believe that this investigation is politically motivated and is purely harassment against SUARAM and its members for exposing information related to the on-going Scorpene case in the French court.

Ms Cynthia Gabriel attended the investigation today on 7th August 2013 at 3pm at the IPD Petaling Jaya police station. During the investigation, the Investigations officer asked questions unrelated and non-relevant to the Sedition act. The investigating officer failed to produce or show the content of the police report that has been lodged against SUARAM in regards to the Scorpene dinner to Ms Cynthia Gabriel. The questions mainly focused on SUARAM as an organization, for example, what is SUARAM?, is SUARAM a company?, what does SUARAM do and stand for?. These are similar to the questions asked last year when SUARAM faced intimidation from government led agencies. This investigation led to nowhere and the Register of Societies (RoS) dropped their investigation of SUARAM. SUARAM sees this questioning as a waste of time and energy when the police should be investigating criminals involved in random shootings as well as those companies like Perimekar and Terassasi that have been linked to the French investigation. 

We urge the Government and the police to put an end to any harassment against Ms Cynthia Gabriel, SUARAM as well as against all human rights defenders in Malaysia. We also call on the Government to abolish the Sedition Act 1948 which is against basic human rights principles and to drop charges of those who have been prosecuted for political reasons.

The Government must comply with all the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and in particular with, “Article 1, which provides that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”.

Released by,
Nalini Elumalai
Executive Director

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

In Cairo, senior Hamas officials discuss hostage deal with Egyptian intelligence chief ---By TOI STAFF, AGENCIES and LAZAR BERMAN

Delegation said led by terror group’s Qatar-based political leader Ismail Haniyeh; Wall Street Journal reports Hamas demanding 150 security prisoners for each female soldier A delegation of senior Hamas officials arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian officials on a possible deal that would see the release of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza. The delegation was led by Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, and included senior members Mousa Abu Marzook and Khalil al-Hayya, the Qatar-based Al-Araby news outlet reported, citing an unnamed Egyptian source. The Hamas officials met with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, to discuss the details of a hostage deal proposal that was presented to the Gaza terror group earlier this week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The outline of the deal was drawn up during a meeting in Paris last week in the presence of Israeli and US officials, as well as Qatari and Egyptian negotiators, a
Read more

LIST: 21 medicines added to VAT-exempt list Ian Laqui - Philstar.com

Pixabay MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has expanded its list of medicines which are exempt from the value added tax (VAT). Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 17-2024 released by the tax bureau exempted 21 medications following the endorsement of the Food and Drug Administration. The VAT-exempted medications on the list are for conditions such as cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, kidney disease, mental illness and tuberculosis. Below is the full list of additional VAT-exempted medications: For cancer Panitumumab (100mg/5ml) (concentrate solution for infusion) Fulvestrant (50mg/ml) (concentrate solution for infusion) For diabetes Teneligliptin (as hydrobromide hydrate) (20 mg) Sitagliptin (as phospate monohydrate) + Metformin HCI (50mg/500mg) Sitagliptin (50 mg) Sitagliptin (10 mg) Metformin Hydrochloride (500 mg) For high cholesterol Atorvastatin Calcium (20 mg) Atorvastatin + Fenofibrate (40 mg/160 mg) For mental illness Desvenlafaxine
Read more