It is an hour to dusk in a quiet suburb in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, and the Abdul Razak household was readying itself for a small feast.

For the first time in a two years, all five of Abdul Razak Mohd and Hadijah CP Veeravu's children would be breaking their Ramadan fast together.

fadzullah abdul razak Only hours before Malaysiakini 's visit yesterday, their son, Fadzullah ( right ) was released from the Internal Security Act, under which he was held without trial for 23 months and 14 days.

The clean-shaven 30-year-old was prior to that held under remand for two months for alleged links with the Jemaah Islamiah group, and was informed of his unconditional release with 11 others that morning.

But far from focusing on the festivities, Fadzullah said his "first priority" now is to campaign for the release of the 30 detainees still held under ISA, which he is convinced is a "cruel" law.

"Now that I have experienced it, I know how cruel it can be, and what happens to the detainees, including during the remand period.

"The ISA is cruel, in terms of the incarceration, the torture, and the now the fact that some are released early while others are not," he said.

Parents to campaign 'to the end'

Far from being overjoyed by his early release, he received the ‘good news' with "mixed feelings" and his thoughts were with other detainees having to spend Hari Raya Aidilfitri this Sunday under lock and key.

"They are held for no reason and now they have to celebrate Aidilfitri there with no one. This was playing on my mind, it leaves a heavy burden on the soul."

He added that according to his detention order, he was due for release on Sept 1 and as such was already prepared for release in two weeks' time.

fadzullah abdul razak with wife and baby Fadzullah's release comes just a day before his parents had planned to travel to the detention camp to spend Hari Raya Aidilfitri with their first-born.

"We had prayed for his release this Ramadan. His grandmother advised us to do so in hopes that maybe he would be released before Hari Raya, and he has," his father, Abdul Razak said.

"We are grateful to God, and those at the Anti-ISA Movement (GMI) and Suaram for their support."

But even Abdul Razak is thinking of the 30 detainees still awaiting release, despite the ISA being repealed.

Disappointed with the government

Evidently saddened, the couple said their thoughts went to the detainees' young children and wives they had met when campaigning for their son's release.

Among them are the families of Mustawan Ahbab and Razali Kasab, both fathers of young children, who last month alongside Fadzullah mounted a hunger strike to protest their incarceration.

"We urge them to be patient and pray for God to move those who are cruel to these men, and release them.

"We will campaign, just as the former ISA detainees and their wives had supported us. We want everyone to be released and will not be quiet just because our son is released. We will campaign to the end," he said.

fadzullah abdul razak with baby Fadzullah had in the detainees' second hunger strike lasted two weeks without food, and said he had felt "disappointed" that the government had scarcely acknowledged the strike.

"I had held on because I wanted freedom to be given to all detainees. Until this happens, the rakyat will continue to be fed lies by the government - that the ISA is not cruel," he said.

"I had thought of how my parents and society would feel, but we had a message to send out, and we had hoped for their support."

It is this strong support which eventually pushed the government to released them, he said, and not because they have been rehabilitated as claimed by the government.

"God knows the real reason, but I feel the government released us, especially of the three Sabahans who were only held for about eight months, to hide its faults and continue to cheat the people by saying the ISA is not cruel," he said.

"If it is truly because we have repented, then how is it that we don't support them (the government) now?"

VIDEO | 4.41 mins