An international human rights organisation today joined in the chorus of support for the released Internal Security Act detainees and urged that the controversial law be repealed.

The New York-based Lawyers Committee for Human Rights also called on the government to free the remaining ISA detainees or charge them in open court.

"According to reports received by the Lawyers Committee, scores of people have been subject to detention under the Act in the last year.

"These individuals must be either charged publicly with a criminal offence and receive a full and fair trial, or be given back their freedom," said spokesperson Laurie Berg in a statement.

The security law, a relic from British colonial rule, allows for detention without trial at the discretion of the home minister.

Change of tack

According to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), there are more than 100 people still under ISA detention.

Berg said the release of four detainees on Sunday "signals a change of tack for the Malaysian government".

"The two-year detention of (Keadilan vice-president) Tian Chua and the others had nothing to do with punishing someone who had done something wrong, and everything to do with trying to intimidate and silence those who seek reform in Malaysia," she claimed.

Tian was among six reformasi activists detained since June 2001 for allegedly planning to topple the government through militant means. They denied the allegation.

Four, including malaysiakini columnist-cum filmmaker Hishamuddin Rais, were released on Sunday at the end of their two-year detention while the other two are due for release on or before June 12 unless their detention orders are renewed.

Unjustified detention

Meanwhile, the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim) also echoed the calls made by others for the release of all ISA detainees.

"Prolonging an unjustified detention of the detainees would only increase anger and frustration," said its president Ahmad Azam Abdul Rahman in a statement.

The movement also called for the repeal of the Act, which it said "serves no moral justification for its continued implementation, expect as a lethal weapon by those in authority for political vendetta."

"The ISA, which has been used to detain people without trial, even for only an imaginary threat to national security, is a cruel piece of legislation in our contemporary world."