First female witness to testify in false news trial
Labour rights activist Irene Fernandez, who has been charged for allegedly publishing false information relating to the deaths of inmates at immigration detention camps, will be bringing her first female witness when her trial resumes next month.
When contacted today, Fernandez said the Kuala Lumpur magistrates' court has set the dates from March 13 for a period of one week to continue hearing testimonies from defence witnesses.
"We will bring in one witness during this period and we are planning for the witness to be a female (former migrant worker)," she added.
To date, the prosecution team had called a total of 35 witnesses while 22 testified for the defence.
The defence witnesses who were former detention camp inmates had been Bangladeshi men.
Labour rights activist Irene Fernandez, who has been charged for allegedly publishing false information relating to the deaths of inmates at immigration detention camps, will be bringing her first female witness when her trial resumes next month.
When contacted today, Fernandez said the Kuala Lumpur magistrates' court has set the dates from March 13 for a period of one week to continue hearing testimonies from defence witnesses.
"We will bring in one witness during this period and we are planning for the witness to be a female (former migrant worker)," she added.
To date, the prosecution team had called a total of 35 witnesses while 22 testified for the defence.
The defence witnesses who were former detention camp inmates had been Bangladeshi men.
During the trial, they provided the court with graphic details of their experiences which included testimony on alleged beatings by the police and on inmates being subjected to acts of sexual perversion.
The Fernandez trial was last heard over a two-week period in January during which a Bangladeshi national was brought to testify for the defence.
The witness told the court of the physical beatings and sexual abuse he suffered while held at the Tanah Merah immigration detention centre in Kelantan in 1995.
Four more witnesses
According to Fernandez, the defence team is planning to call in four more witnesses before wrapping up their case.
"From the four, we are hoping to bring at least two or three women to testify," she said.
The labour rights activist was charged under Section 8A(2) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act (1984) for "maliciously publishing false news" after she released a memorandum during a press conference in August 1995 about torture and deaths in camps for illegal immigrants.
The trial, which began in June1996, has dragged on for over six years, making it the longest-running case in Malaysian legal history.
If convicted, Fernandez could face up to three years in prison and/or a fine of up to RM20,000. She is currently out on bail.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.