Prominent lawyer Raja Aziz Addruse, who passed away yesterday, was laid to rest at Bukit Kiara Muslim cemetery this afternoon.

Some 80 people from both the political and legal circles were present at the funeral.

raja aziz addruse funeral 1 Among those in attendance were PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and his wife PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and from the Negeri Sembilan royal family, Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin Muhriz.

Other politicians present included Selangor exco member Teresa Kok, DAP chairperson Karpal Singh and his son Puchong MP Gobind Singh.

Former UN special rapporteur and former Bar Council president Param Cumaraswamy, human rights lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and prominent lawyer Sulaiman Abdullah were also spotted.

raja aziz addruse interview judiciary crisis 060808 08 Param said Raja Aziz ( right ) helped to form the National Human Rights Society (Hakam) and the Transparency International Malaysia chapter together with him.

“He was very committed to human rights and fundamental liberties. He also did a lot of pro bono cases to help those having difficulties in accessing justice in court.”

Raja Aziz, 75, passed away at 1.20pm yesterday, after a battle with cancer.

He left behind his wife and two daughters.

Multi-racial gathering

Despite the solemn ceremony being a Muslim send-away, the crowd in attendance was visibly multiracial.

raja aziz addruse funeral 2 The family, particularly Raja Aziz's wife ( second from right ), who appeared grief-stricken, was supported by friends and relatives, all of whom had only good words for him.

Speaking after the funeral, Anwar described Raja Aziz as a staunch human rights defender and a family friend.

"He was very passionate about issues of justice and very concerned about the flaws in our judicial system.

"We will remember him in the cause of freedom (as a man) who believed passionately in justice and the rule of law. He was an outstanding Malaysian," Anwar said.

Raja Aziz was at the forefront in Anwar's defence during the former deputy prime minister's abuse of power case in 1998.

A stalwart of the legal system, Raja Aziz also defended the then Lord President, Tun Salleh Abbas, when he was brought before a tribunal after the Supreme Court declared Umno illegal in 1988.

When contacted, Salleh called Raja Aziz's passing a "great loss to the legal and judicial community".

"He was a great jurist that had contributed a lot to the development of Malaysian law. He was very strict and principled when it came to the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law," said Salleh.

Passed on peacefully

The legal fraternity including judges and lawyers visited Raja Aziz's residence as early as 8.30am today to express their condolences.

Among them were former Bar Council presidents Ragunath Kesavan, Ambiga Sreenevasan and current vice president Christopher Leong.

At the family residence, Raja Aziz's personal assistant of 20 years, who only wished to be known as Kamal, spoke on behalf of the family.

raja aziz addruse funeral 4 "He (Raja Aziz) was a gentleman and a very humble person. He was a man who made his own stand and would not be influenced by others," Kamal said.

Raja Aziz's family, while requesting privacy, however shared that he passed away, peacefully in the presence of family members and received the last rites in the Muslim tradition.

Raja Aziz's body was taken to the Federal Territories Mosque at Jalan Duta for prayers at 9.30am before being moved to Bukit Kiara for burial.

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