Opposition party DAP today urged Malaysians to show up at the Kuala Lumpur High Court next Tuesday to show support for the party's senior leader and lawyer Karpal Singh's sedition trial.

"DAP top leaders as well as international jurists are expected to attend the trial to demonstrate the firm demand that the government stop its political vengeance and persecution of Karpal by dropping all charges of sedition," said Lim Guan Eng, chairperson of the Save Justice, Free Karpal committee.

Karpal has been charged with sedition for comments made in the course of defending his client, former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. In the trial, Karpal had claimed that Anwar's deteriorating health condition was due to "people in high places" wanting to poison Anwar, and had requested for an inquiry into the matter.

Anwar is now serving a 15-year jail sentence for corrupt practices and sodomy.

Karpal was arrested on Jan 12, 2000 and charged two days later for allegedly making the "seditious" statement. His case will be heard before justice S Augustine Paul, who was also the judge before whom Karpal had made the remarks.

Karpal's trial was originally fixed for hearing last July but following a series of postponements, the trial is finally set to commence next Tuesday and scheduled to end on Oct 31.

If found guilty, Karpal can be fined RM5,000 or sentenced to a three-year jail term or both.

'Against international covenants'

Lim said that the sedition charge against Karpal ran counter to international covenants on the role of lawyers as well as privileges accorded to them during the course of a hearing.

"The government's use of the Sedition Act against Karpal violates UN principles on this matter as well as Malaysian common law, which grants lawyers absolute privilege for all statements made during legal proceedings," the former DAP deputy secretary-general said in a statement.

Lim was himself charged with sedition and publishing 'false' information in 1995 after he raised anomalies of the case pertaining to the former Melaka chief minister Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik who was accused but never charged of raping a minor. Lim was subsequently convicted and jailed for 18 months.