A group of 24 Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees want to be freed in time for the upcoming Hari Raya, to be reunited with their families.

In a joint letter submitted to the Internal Security Ministry yesterday, they said the majority in the group have been detained without trial for more than three years.

"We are not guilty because we have not been convicted by a court. Detaining innocent people is a form of brutality," they said, pointing out that this has also victimised wives and children.

The group claimed some of the affected families were given RM300 as duit raya by special branch police personnel.

"We hope the internal security ministry will stop this charade. It alleges that we have threatened national security and yet, it bribes (our families) with money," they said.

AIM memorandum

The detainees' letter was submitted to two ministry officials by a 30-member delegation led by Abolish ISA Movement (AIM) chairperson Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh.

The delegation included family members of some detainees, as well as former ISA detainee Saari Sungib and PAS Youth chief Salahudin Ayub.

AIM had submitted a similar memorandum calling for the detainees to be released before Hari Raya.

At the same time, the movement has urged the ministry not to extend the detention period of two detainees - Wan Min Wan Mat, whose detention period expired on Oct 21 and Nasaruddin Nasir (Nov 8).

Under the ISA, the internal security minister or his deputy has sole discretion to determine if a person poses a potential threat to national security or to public order, and is empowered to order indefinite detention without trial.

AIM has pushed for the ISA to be repealed, while the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia has urged the government to replace the act with a clear security law.