Human Rights Watch today urged the government to acquit veteran human rights campaigner Irene Fernandez of charges she published false claims in a report that exposed immigration camp abuses.

A prominent rights campaigner, Fernandez was arrested in March 1996. Free on bail, she stands to be fined or even imprisoned in an expected trial ruling Oct 14.

"Irene Fernandez should never have been charged for speaking out against the abuse of migrants," said Brad Adams, executive director of Human Rights Watch's (HRW) Asia division.

"Imposing criminal penalties would send a message that the Malaysian government, on the eve of a historic political transition, is still willing to use the law to silence its critics," Adams said in a statement.

Abuse of law

The female rights advocate was charged with malicious publication of false news under the Printing Presses and Publications Act of 1984 after she released a report in 1995 documenting beatings and sexual attacks against detainees by prison guards.

She had also said Malaysia's immigration detention camps did not stock adequate supplies of food and water.

The court's verdict, originally scheduled to be announced in March 2004, has been unexpectedly brought forward by the presiding judge, and comes just weeks before Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed hands power over to deputy prime minister Abdullah Badawi, according to HRW.

HRW said that if the Fernandez is imprisoned - following the longest trial in Malaysian history - her sentence would "mark yet another chapter in Malaysia's use of the law to stifle free expression under the Mahathir government." - AFP