No law to stop Anwar from speaking to the press, Prisons DG told
There is nothing in the law that prevents jailed PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim from speaking to the press while in court, his lawyer N Surendran said today.
"There is nothing in the Prison Act 1995 or Prisons Regulations 2000 that prevents a prisoner from speaking to the press.
"Therefore, the Prisons Department or Home Ministry cannot prevent the press from reporting or Anwar from speaking to the press," Surendran said.
There is nothing in the law that prevents jailed PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim from speaking to the press while in court, his lawyer N Surendran said today.
"There is nothing in the Prison Act 1995 or Prisons Regulations 2000 that prevents a prisoner from speaking to the press.
"Therefore, the Prisons Department or Home Ministry cannot prevent the press from reporting or Anwar from speaking to the press.
"The court building is a public place and journalists are entitled to carry out their duties," Surendran said in a statement today.
He added that a prisoner only loses his freedom of movement but is not stripped of other constitutional rights, including the freedom of speech.
Surendran was responding to Prisons Department deputy director-general (security and corrections) Hassan Sakimon, who said Anwar was not allowed to speak to the press during his visit to court.
Sakimon also complained that pressmen would often block prison officers while they are escorting Anwar, to ask him questions.
'Media just doing its job'
However, Surendran stressed that the media was just doing its job when asking questions that are of public interest.
"In any event, why such concern on the part of the authorities over what Anwar might say?
"There is no need for the Home Ministry or Prisons Department to be defensive about this matter.
"Their task is to ensure the safe custody and welfare of all prisoners, and nothing more than that," Surendran said.
Anwar was in February last year sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for sodomising his former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
The opposition leader maintains the charge was politically motivated.
Anwar, who was already dealing with a mountain of legal suits prior to his incarceration, has been able to make occasional trips from the Sungai Buloh Prison for his court cases.
While being escorted by prison guards for his qazaf case in the Syariah Appeals Court in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, Anwar criticised the Umno annual general assembly for not addressing issues plaguing the Malay community and the country.
