"Arrest my son a hundred times and it will not matter for he was raised not to fear anything, even death, for the sake of truth and justice," said the mother of detained Keadilan Youth leader, Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor today.

Aishah Othman, who was speaking at a press conference organised by the Women's Agenda for Change (WAC) in Petaling Jaya, said she had told her son that even if he were to be killed in his quest for justice, he should not fear it as "all has been written by God".

"I have raised my son not to fear anything for the sake of truth. Arrest him a hundred times, I do not care, for it is not Mahathir who determines what happens to him," said Aishah, a former Umno grassroots leader in Sri Kembangan, Selangor.

Mohamad Ezam and eight other pro-reformasi activists have been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in a police crackdown launched since April 10, for allegedly planning to overthrow the government through militant means.

Television hero

Aishah said she does not fear for her son but is merely asking the police to perform their duties professionally.

"The police should at least inform the family members about the arrests. We only found out about Ezam's arrest after they had taken him to the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters," she said.

"If my son has done any wrong, prove it. And if he is guilty, punish him, but take him to court," she added.

"I challenge Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to come and fight openly in the ring and not to be a hero only on television," said Aishah.

Also present at the press conference were family members of the other detainees, who called on the authorities to prove that all those arrested are safe as claimed.

Others detained in the ISA dragnet are Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua, party Youth leaders, N Gobalakrishnan, Abdul Ghani Haroon, Saari Sungib and Lokman Adam, supreme council member Dr Badrul Amin Baharom, Free Anwar Campaign (Freeanwar.com) webmaster Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin and social activist-cum- malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais

Daughter sick

Zumrah Husni, whose husband Dr Badrul was detained last Friday, said that since the arrest she has been in the dark as to her husband's whereabouts.

She said at the time of the arrest, she had asked one ASP Razak Ruslan why her husband was being detained, but the later rebuked her, saying, "There is no need for you to say anything."

"My husband was a law lecturer at the International Islamic University for 18 years and is also a freelance religious speaker. I cannot believe these allegations made against him," said a visibly distraught Zumrah.

Following the arrest, she said, her house is being watched and her family's house in Sabak Bernam, Perak was also ransacked by the police without a warrant.

"My mother is yet to recover from the shock. My youngest daughter who is four years old is very sick and tries to make calls to her father in the middle of the night," said Zumrah before breaking down in tears.

Draconian law

Mabel Au, who is Tian Chua's fiancee, said that she and Tian's family have repeatedly gone to the police station to ask for him but were always told to stay outside.

"We only asked how Tian is doing, yet we are treated in such a manner," said Au, a Hong Kong citizen, who added that she is perplexed with the existence of such a draconian law.

Meanwhile, Saari Sungib's wife, Aliza Jaffar said this is the second time her husband has been detained under the ISA.

"I fully acknowledge the support from all those who believe the ISA should be abolished," said Aliza.

Also present, was Dr Anizan Ishak, the ex-wife of former ISA detainee and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) president Dr Nasir Hashim.

Anizan related the trauma she underwent during her husband's two-year detention at the Kamunting detention centre in Taiping, Perak following the 1987 ISA crackdown codenamed ' Operasi Lalang '.

Endorsed kidnapping

"I feel as if the anguish and the process of overcoming the trauma had just ended yesterday. Even a murderer or a thief is innocent until proven guilty and is given the right to defend himself, but under the ISA you are detained for reasons unknown and there is no time limit," she said.

"They came and kidnapped my ex-husband. But what was worse, the kidnap is officially endorsed.

"When I wanted to pursue a habeas corpus application, the authorities threatened back by lengthening the period of detention," she said.

Despite the safety assurances by the authorities, when the detainees are released, they are found to be emaciated, afflicted with fungal infections, disoriented and suffering from respiratory problems, Anizan claimed.

The press conference also saw the presence of four former women ISA detainees, representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), opposition parties, the US Embassy and members of the public.