SNAPSHOT | Dissenting judge in whipping ruling lauded; K'tan cops assessing M16 rifle seized from raid

KINI SNAPSHOT | What's going on in the news today, with updates at 9am, 2pm, 6pm, and 9pm.

9pm

Whipping

• Suhakam has lauded Federal Court judge Lee Swee Seng for delivering the dissenting judgment in a 2-1 majority decision in favour of the constitutionality of whipping as a form of punishment for crime.

  It said Lee’s judgment represented a principled, rights-consistent, and constitutionally faithful approach to the law, in contrast to the majority decision, which it viewed as a “narrow and formalistic reading of fundamental liberties”.

  “(Lee’s judgment) was an enlightened judgment; a breath of fresh air; and a manifestation of judicial activism,” it said in a statement.

  Suhakam asserted that judicial caning is an inherently cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment, and urged for sentencing approaches that prioritise rehabilitation over retribution.

READ MORE: Federal Court rules whipping for prisoners is constitutional

Crime

• Authorities are conducting a forensic examination on an M16 assault rifle seized during a raid in Kampung Miak, Gua Musang, last Monday, which police considered a “highly unusual and rare” find.

  Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat said such a weapon is reserved solely for security forces, and checks are being conducted to trace the rifle’s origin.

  

  “If checks confirm it does not belong to local security agencies, it is highly likely to have been smuggled from abroad,” Bernama quoted him as saying.

  The rifle was among five firearms seized in the raid, during which one person was arrested. No further arrests have been made.

Previously at 6pm | PAS man calls for protest on DAP rep's 'pig farming' view; Rafizi gets another LOD from Bestinet

2pm | S'gor DAP Youth: Stop harmful pig farm rhetoric; no unilateral moves on Malacca strait: M'sia

9am | AGC still reviewing Durian Tunggal murder probe; BN won't postpone Malacca, Johor polls

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