The Malaysian Bar - 2011/2012 Human Rights Committee Interim Report

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2011/2012 Human Rights Committee Interim Report

Thursday, 15 December 2011 09:02am

For the 2011/2012 term, the Human Rights Committee (“HRC”) is chaired by Andrew Khoo Chin Hock, and the Co-Deputy Chairpersons are Roger Chan Weng Keng, Seira Sacha bt Abu Bakar and Sonya Liew Yee Aun.

There are currently 43 members in HRC, including eight outstation members. HRC has 11 working groups that focus on civil and political rights (including freedom of expression and freedom of information); age and gender; international, regional and institutional human rights instruments; exploited persons including refugees and trafficked persons; human rights education; people with disabilities; contravention of human rights; archaic and draconian legislation; preventive detention; freedom of religion; and abuse of police powers.

The mission statement of HRC is to uphold, promote and protect human rights in accordance with international human rights norms. As such, it operates within, but is not limited to, the following objectives:

(1) Increase the level of awareness and education of human rights norms within the Malaysian Bar and the public;
(2) Encourage and generate greater interest among Members of the Bar in human rights work; and
(3) Assist Bar Council in advocating and lobbying the government on policies and legislation related to human rights.

HRC has carried out the following activities thus far:

(1) Equality Forum on Race Relations and Religion: Toward Equality and Non-Discrimination on 29 Jan 2011 at Bar Council Auditorium. The forum was organised in collaboration with Tenaganita and featured Dr Dimitrina Petrova (Equal Rights Trust, UK), Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi (MARA University of Technology) and YB Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (Member of Parliament, Kuala Selangor);

(2) Forum on the Magic of Section 28A on 18 Feb 2011 at Bar Council Auditorium, featuring Superintendent R Munusamy (Officer-in-charge, Jalan Duta Court Complex, Kuala Lumpur) and Rajpal Singh (Chairperson, Bar Council Criminal Law Committee);

(3) Training on International Human Rights Law, co-organised with the International Bar Human Rights Institute (“IBAHRI”) and Iran Central Bar Association (“ICBA”) from 4 to 6 Mar 2011 at Bar Council Auditorium. The training was attended by Members of the Bar as well as selected members from ICBA;

(4) Talk on the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) by Judge Sang-Hyun Song, President of the ICC on 10 Mar 2011 at Bar Council Conference Room;

(5) Forum on Toward a More Ethical Media on 18 May 2011 at Bar Council Auditorium, featuring Abdul Jalil Ali (Editorial Executive Advisor, Sinar Harian), Sharaad Kuttan (lecturer and columnist) and Wong Chin Huat (lecturer and columnist);

(6) Talk on the Benefit to Malaysia of Being a State Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on 28 Jul 2011 at Bar Council Conference Room. The event was organised in conjunction with the World Day for International Justice celebrated annually on 17 July, and the talk featured Shaharuddin Onn (Principal Assistant Secretary, Department of Research, Treaties and International Laws, Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and N Sivananthan (Vice-President (Asia Pacific), International Criminal Bar, and Member of the Malaysian Bar);

(7) Talk on Modern-Day Slavery and Human Trafficking by Siddarth Kara (author and lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, USA) on 21 Sept 2011 at Bar Council Conference Room;

(8) Public Seminar on the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Malaysia on 13 Oct 2011, at Plenary Theatre, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. This event was jointly organised with the Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (“SUHAKAM”). It was attended by over 350 participants from NGOs, government sector, educational institutions and members of the public. The event was in conjunction with the World Day Against Death Penalty celebrated annually on 10 October;

(9) Talk on Media Law and Ethics: Responsibility in Journalism by Professor Jane E Kirtley from the University of Minnesota, on 19 Oct 2011 at Bar Council Conference Room; and

(10)Forum on Human Rights for LGBTIQ: Making it Real in Malaysia on 2 Nov 2011 at Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, co-organised with Knowledge and Rights with Young People Through Safer Spaces (“KRYSS”), Tenaganita and Empower at the yearly event, Seksualiti Merdeka 2011.

The following activities are currently being planned:

(1) Human Rights Day 2011 Celebration on 10 Dec 2011 to feature a forum and exhibition on death penalty, as well as the public screening of “Death in Dilemma: The Final Curtain”, which was produced and directed by HRC’s Seira Sacha bt Abu Bakar and Khaizan Sharizad Abd Razak Dali (Sherrie) and

(2) One-day human rights workshop for Johore Bar members in 2012 (date to be confirmed).

HRC also organised a team to monitor the public rally on 9 July 2011. Observations from members of the monitoring team were compiled to produce the “Report of the Bar Council Monitoring Team on the Public Rally on 9 July 2011 in Kuala Lumpur” dated 12 July 2011, which was released to members of the media, submitted to SUHAKAM as well as the Polis DiRaja Malaysia (“PDRM”). Some members of the monitoring team have volunteered to appear as witnesses in the SUHAKAM Public Inquiry on allegations of human rights violations prior and during the public rally on 9 July 2011, which began on 11 Oct 2011 and is ongoing.

Apart from all these activities, HRC is also active in contributing views verbally, in writing and formal presentations in meetings, discussions and seminars organised by various organisations including SUHAKAM, government ministries and agencies, foreign missions and NGOs.

Andrew Khoo Chin Hock

Chairperson

Human Rights Committee

Dated 16 Nov 2011

The Executive Officer for HRC is Adilah Ariffin and she can be contacted by telephone at 03-2050 2091/2050 2050 ext 2091 or by email at adilah@malaysianbar.org.my.

(1) Andrew Khoo Chin Hock (Chairperson)

(2) Roger Chan Weng Keng (Co-Deputy Chairperson)

(3) Seira Sacha bt Abu Bakar (Co-Deputy Chairperson)

(4) Sonya Liew Yee Aun (Co-Deputy Chairperson)

Members:

(5) Chow Siew Lin

(6) Clement Ong Tun Heang

(7) Daniel Lo Soo Jeng

(8) Deepa Nambiar

(9) Desmond Ho Chee Cheong

(10) Diana Ling Fan Phing

(11) Dipendra s/o Harshad Rai