Sometimes politicians make statements that at once alert us to an inability on their part to grasp first principles.

I find PAS' Mahfuz Omar's statement that the release of student Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin after 23 days in police custody is proof that he was not involved in activities related to national security, worrying ('Student's release from ISA hailed ', July 29). I wonder what he thinks he is scoring by making this point?

What has been proven is not Khairul's innocence or guilt but that the state has immense powers to detain free citizens under the Internal Security Act (ISA). The release of Khairul is long overdue, with Suhakam taking a back seat on this one.

Khairul had to suffer police interrogation under a law which allows very little judicial scrutiny. Any judicial check is basically on a technicality and not questioning the reasons of state. This has been set by case precedents since the 1960s and sealed in the Operation Lallang cases in 1988 onwards.

As far as I am concerned all ISA arrests and detentions are illegal and illegitimate. Perhaps we should be thinking about reparations like compensation and an apology from the state. This recourse is becoming the civil society standard against abuses of power.