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by Andrew Khoo & Zarizana Abdul Aziz

The Human Rights Committee of the Malaysian Bar acknowledges International Human Rights Day today, 10 December 2007.

While we acknowledge this day, this year we unfortunately do not celebrate it. In the past 28 hours, we have seen our chairperson, Edmund Bon, and our co-deputy chairperson, Amer Hamzah, both arrested arising from events held to commemorate International Human Rights Day.

Edmund was arrested allegedly for obstructing officials from Kuala Lumpur City Hall from removing banners and placards placed on the front of the Bar Council’s building. This was the venue of the “Festival of Rights” held on Sunday 9 December 2007, organised by the Human Rights Committee. Edmund was merely doing his duty to protect the independence of the Malaysian Bar from interference and intrusion by the local authorities, and to prevent the Festival of Rights from any untoward disruption. His arrest was wholly unnecessary.

Amer was arrested for taking part in a public procession that began from the Sogo departmental store and which was to end at the Bar Council’s building. The public procession, although held without a police permit, was carried out in an absolutely peaceful and non-violent manner. There was never any threat to public safety or security at any time. It had as its simple aim a public reaffirmation of the constitutional right of assembly of all Malaysians as provided under the Federal Constitution. The police were fully aware of the public procession at all material times, both before and during the event. In fact, there were more police and press on the street that morning than participants in the public procession. The arrest of Amer, and certain other participants, was therefore totally unwarranted.

The Human Rights Committee of the Malaysian Bar regrets that the Malaysian government has seen fit to allow such action to be taken on an occasion when peoples all around the world, and here in Malaysia, were meant to celebrate the passing in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly, of which Malaysia is a member. Such actions were totally inconsistent with Malaysia’s place on the United Nations Human Rights Council. Both events were organised by different members of civil society in order to draw attention to, and promote, a deeper understanding and appreciation of the meaning and significance of human rights and its importance to everyone, everyday. By its nature, human rights is not something that is to be supported merely when it is convenient or calculatingly advantageous to the authorities to do so, or when events and processions are held in favour of causes that are common with the agenda of the powers that be.

We call for all the charges against our chairperson, Edmund Bon, and our co-deputy chairperson, Amer Hamzah, and also against all those arrested yesterday in connection with the peaceful public procession, to be dismissed.

Andrew Khoo & Zarizana Abdul Aziz
Co-Deputy Chairpersons
Human Rights Committee
Malaysian Bar

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