Four years ago, nine members of alleged Islamic extremist group Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) were held under the dreaded Internal Security Act for allegedly being involved in militant activities and posing a threat to national security.

The four years have passed but the fate of the nine - Ahmad Pozi Darman, Alias Ngah, Nik Adli Nik Abdul Aziz (Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat's son), Solehan Abdul Ghafar, Mohd Lothfi Ariffin, Mohd Rafi Udin, Mohd Zulkifli Mohd Zakaria, Zainon Ismail and Zid Sharani Mohd Isa - remains uncertain.

The ISA allows the government to detain them without trial in an open court besides extending their initial two-year detention orders indefinitely.

With their first extension of their ISA detention orders expiring tomorrow, the nine detainees and their families are anxious to know if it will be freedom for them tomorrow or further despair within the confines or the infamous Kamunting Detention Camp in Perak.

In a statement today, the Abolish ISA Movement (AIM) called for the immediate and unconditional release of the nine which it said were 'political detainees'.

"Thus far, the government has failed to provide any shred of evidence against them, on the allegation that the nine were involved in militant activities.

"Instead, the government has shown no intention of prosecuting them in an open court after four years of detention. This has clearly indicated that the continuous detention of the nine is malicious and politically motivated," said AIM's secretary Chang Lih Kang.

'Barbaric, uncivilised'

Chang said the consecutive detention of the detainees without evidence and trial was not only unjust to the detainees, but also to their families.

"They have been suffering year after year for no reason," he stressed.

He said since other ISA detainees who were held on the same allegation of being KMM members were all released in the past, there was no rationale of further detaining the nine.

"Punishing or detaining people without giving them any opportunity to defend themselves is barbaric. Uncivilised laws that permit detention without trial are not part of the democratic system and should be abolished," he reiterated.