The five Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders who were detained under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) must be tried fairly in the courts or be released.

This was among the demands made by members of the Abolish ISA movement (GMI) amidst the presence of some 100 supporters that gathered outside the Humans Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

“The detention of the Hindraf leaders under the ISA is unconstitutional and unjust. If the government believes they have committed an offence, they should be charged in court and given the benefit of defending themselves

“Even criminals are given a fair trial, why not these five ?” said GMI chairperson Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh in his speech.

GMI handed over a memorandum to Suhakam to urge the commission to take necessary action towards calling for the government to abolish the ISA.

‘Avoid habeas corupus’

The group also voiced their concern over the manner in which the Hindraf five were detained.

“All five were detained under section 8 (1) of the ISA which authorises a direct two-year detention unlike the usual exertion of section 73 that places detainees under a 60-day investigation period.

“I believe that this was made because if the five were detained under the latter, there will be a chance for them to file for habeas corpus during the investigation period,” said Syed Ibrahim.

According to him, there has been a precedent where ISA detainees who filed for habeas corpus had won and detainees were freed as the charges against them were considered wrong and malicious by the courts.

“The authorities I believe don’t want this to happen because this is a high-profile case given the fact that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi himself has made strong statements regarding Hindraf,

“Considering this, we are extremely worried over the safety of the five since the ISA is notorious for its inhuman treatment,” he added.

Following this, GMI urged the government to ensure the safety of the Hindraf five besides allowing them to consult their legal counsels and family members.

Right to love denied

Apart from concerns over the Hindraf five, GMI’s Family Support Committee (PSK), a group comprising wives of several ISA detainees, also submitted a memorandum.

“We the wives of the detainees are robbed of the rights to love and affection from our husbands whom are unjustly detained under this inhumane law,” said one PSK member, Aliza Jaffar.

PSK has been attempting to free their husbands (alleged members of an Islamic militant group) for six years and is yet to know the release dates of their spouses.

In their memorandum, the group wants Suhakam “to widene its scope to safeguard the human rights of not only ISA detainees, but their wives and children as well” as they felt that their rights to a normal life have been denied.

The memorandums were handed over to Suhakam secretary Ahmad Yusof.

Despite the presence of some 20 police personnel, no untoward incident took place nor were there any arrest as the crowd dispersed peacefully.