Security officials should stop congratulating themselves for the excellent exam results obtained by four youths held under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and realise the larger injustice that remains, said the Anti-ISA Movement (AIM) today.

Despite the four acing their subjects, the fact remains that these former students of a religious school in Pakistan are still behind bars over unclear charges and without the benefit of legal representation.

Mohd Ikhwan Abdullah, 20, Abi Dzar Jaafar, 19, Eddy Erman Shahime, 20 dan Mohd Radzi Abdul Razak, 20, were among five Malaysian students in Pakistan, tagged the 'Karachi 5' who have been under detention since November 2003 over their alleged ties with Jemaah Islamiah.

AIM said rather than celebrate its magnanimity in allowing these detainees to pursue their studies, the government should release them so that they can further their studies and improve their academic performance.

"The government must free these students immediately so that they can further and improve their academic performance and, more importantly, strengthen the family ties that are so important in forming the personality and character," it added in a statement yesterday.

Freedom is more important

AIM also criticised Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar who had disclosed the students' performance in the SPM examination to Malay newspaper Mingguan Malaysia on Sunday.

"It is as if he was exploiting the success of these students to demonstrate how adequate educational facilities are extended to them and to show that they are not unfairly treated," said the lobby group.

"There is nothing wrong in seeking (academic) excellence, indeed it is laudable, but does that excellence qualify these students for release? Or is that excellence more important than freedom and living with one's family as other excellent students?" it asked.

The group also took the director of the education ministry's matriculation department Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad to task for asserting that the students would not be allowed to further their studies at any matriculation center on account of their status as ISA detainees.

"To repeat our assertion, (entering matriculation) is not our primary goal here. The focus should be on the personality and mental health of these young people who are being held indefinitely without being charged," read the statement.

Malaysiakini had previously reported on the deteriorating physical and mental conditions of these detainees.

Two from the original group of 13 were said to have been admitted into the psychiatric ward of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital before being released.