Family appoints lawyers for Rayhan, NGOs call for fair trial
The family of Bangladeshi national Mohd Rayhan Kabir have appointed legal representation for him following his arrest and detention.
Lawyers K Sumitha Shaanthinni and C Selvaraja will be representing the 25-year-old.
The family of Bangladeshi national Mohd Rayhan Kabir (above, centre) has appointed legal representation for him following his arrest and detention.
Lawyers K Sumitha Shaanthinni and C Selvaraja will be representing the 25-year-old.
“The police and immigration were informed via email today. In our letter, we sought a date to meet our client.
“We will be at Bukit Aman on Monday (July 27) at 2 pm to meet our client,” Sumitha said in a statement to Malaysiakini.
Immigration authorities began looking for Rayhan after he appeared in the Al Jazeera documentary “Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown”.
The department also controversially revoked his work permit.
Police arrested Rayhan yesterday and will proceed to question him as part of its probe into the documentary.
Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud has vowed to deport and “blacklist” him from entering Malaysia again.
Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin, who oversees the police and immigration departments, said Rayhan will be remanded for 14 days at an immigration detention centre.
Rayhan has insisted that he spoke the truth when interviewed by Al Jazeera about the alleged mistreatment of undocumented migrants by Malaysian authorities during the movement control order period.
When contacted, Bangladesh High Commissioner Mohd Shahidul Islam told Malaysiakini that he had sought information about Rayhan from Malaysian authorities through “diplomatic channels”.
“Initiatives are being taken step by step as per requirement,” he said, declining to elaborate.
He later told Bangladeshi newspaper Bangla Tribune that the high commission was seeking consular access to allow its officials to speak to Rayhan.
Fair trial call
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera tweeted its response to Rayhan’s arrest.
“Al Jazeera finds it disturbing that Bangladeshi migrant worker Mohd Rayhan Kabir has been arrested for choosing to speak up about some of the experiences of the voiceless and the vulnerable,” it said, pointing out that he was also subject to abusive harassment online.
Two human rights NGO have since insisted that he be tried in court instead of being “arbitrarily deported” before any guilt was established.
North-South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira urged Attorney-General Idrus Harun to ensure the rule of law was upheld in this case.
“The AG must ensure rule of law and not rule by law in how the Immigration Department alleges and accuses Rayhan.
“Rayhan must be given a fair trial to allow him to explain himself and not be arbitrarily deported,” he told Malaysiakini.
Pereira also urged the government to ensure Rayhan’s safety while in custody.
“What happens in detention is something many activists and groups are concerned about. Once under custody, the government must ensure their safety,” he stressed.
He further called for immigration law reform to ensure migrants would not be victimised or deported once they lodged a complaint.
Lawyer Charles Hector Fernandez of the NGO Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) also agreed that it was up to the courts to decide if Rayhan needed to be deported.
He disagreed that deportation be decided through an “administrative” decision.
“If the deportation is not stopped, the concern is that many will believe that Malaysia is simply trying to avoid a fair trial.
“If Malaysia is truly convinced that he is guilty of a crime, then charge and try him in the Malaysian courts in accordance with Malaysian laws.
“To suggest that Rayhan is ‘guilty’ simply because he appeared in the said documentary is maybe unreasonable,” Fernandez said in a statement.
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