Six more children held under Sosma, Suaram urges immediate release

At least six teenagers are being held by the federal police under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), human rights group Suaram has claimed.

In a statement, Suaram executive director Azura Nasron said information suggested that the boys, including two 17-year-olds, have been kept in Bukit Aman since they were arrested on Feb 15.

According to the activist, the information came about after parents of one of the detainees sought help from Pengkalan Kundor state assemblyperson Mardhiyyah Johari, who is also a lawyer, after the boy was arrested in Alor Setar, Kedah.

"Correspondence with the family revealed that another 17-year-old boy was arrested in Langkawi on the same day for similar alleged offences under similar circumstances.

"Preliminary information provided to the families by the police suggests that at least four other children were also arrested on the same day, bringing the total number of children detained under Sosma to at least six.

"As of today, the boys from Alor Setar and Langkawi have been held in Bukit Aman under Sosma for 16 days," Azura (above) said.

The boy, whose parents lodged the complaint, was supposedly arrested under the preventive law for the alleged possession of prohibited security-related materials.

There is no further information on the identities of the other detainees, locations of their arrests, on what grounds they were hauled up by the security agency, and the state of their well-being, Azura added.

Malaysiakini has reached out to the office of Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and the Bukit Aman corporate communications arm for comments.

In a brief response to the New Straits Times, Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department director M Kumar said that while the department has no records of such arrests, other departments within the police force have jurisdiction to carry out arrests and probes under Sosma.

‘Release them immediately’

Condemning the action, Azura said using Sosma to detain children was a blatant disregard of child rights, especially after a similar incident involving a 16-year-old girl was highlighted in January.

"... it is deeply reprehensible that Bukit Aman and the Home Ministry have chosen to repeat this violation on an even larger scale.

"This recurring defiance makes a mockery of the government’s claims to balance national security with human rights, particularly in light of Saifuddin’s commitment to table Sosma amendments in the upcoming June and July 2026 parliamentary sitting.

"Suaram maintains, in the strongest and most unequivocal terms, that the police are bound by law to strictly comply with Sections 83 and 84 of the Child Act 2001 for any arrest or detention involving minors.

"The draconian provisions of Sosma cannot be used to supersede these statutory protections," she said.

Azura further claimed that the arrests had also contravened Article 37(b) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which mandates that the detention of a minor be a measure of last resort.

The human rights NGO demanded that the authorities release the six children immediately and allow them access to legal counsel and their families without police presence.

They also seek the ministry's commitment to ensure no other children will be detained under the preventive law.

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