About noon on Friday, June 8, 2001, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) student Helman Sanuddin left his campus in Shah Alam to make the short trip to Kuala Lumpur, as he had to attend to a matter in the city the following day.

On arrival, the third-year information technology student decided to perform the Muslim Friday prayers at the national mosque. As usual, it was packed.

When leaving the mosque afterwards, he noticed a group of young people gathering in the compound. Curious to find out what was going on, he joined them.

Soon, the group of about 500 students began waving banners, shouting slogans and listening to short speeches that protested the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) and the detention of six reformasi activists under the Act.

Twenty minutes later, the situation turned chaotic as the police moved in to disperse the crowd. The students began to run or hide, Helman not excepted.

Unfortunately, several police officers zoomed in on him and he could not get away. After futile attempts to resist, he was arrested and taken to a police station where his statement was recorded.

About five hours later, at 8pm, he was taken to the Jalan Tun HS Lee police station where he was held overnight.

He was placed in a lock-up with six young men whom he did not know. After a round of introductions, he realised that they had also been picked up during the same gathering.

The next morning, the seven were released on police bail. In those 14 hours, they had become friends.

They were to spend many more hours in one another's company after being charged with taking part in an illegal assembly, which they denied. If found guilty, they were liable to a maximum penalty of one year's imprisonment, fine of RM10,000 fine or both.

Bitter lessons

Fast forward to April this year. The 'ISA 7' - as they had come to be known - were acquitted without their defence being called.

The Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court found that the prosecution failed to establish that the students had organised or participated in the demonstration.

During the trial, the proceedings and decision had been frequently postponed. One of the students, Rafzan Ramli, said he estimated that they had turned up at least 20 times in court.

"Over these four years, I have learnt a lot of things, like how to deliver a public address. I used to be nervous but after the arrest, I was often asked to present my case in public," he said in an interview at which five of the seven were present.

Wan Sanusi Wan Mohd Noor's lesson had more to do with how the institutions of democracy function in Malaysia in his case.

"The enforcement of our laws do not reflect democracy," he noted.

What was especially hard to take was their suspension by their respective university authorities, which acted on academic rules and provisions of the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA).

Numerous appeals were unsuccessful. Instead, they were told to apologise if they wanted to be reinstated. They refused.

"I would have been an electrical engineer now if not for the suspension," Rafzan said with a bitter smile. He is currently working for a private firm.



Family support

Nevertheless, support from their families, friends, fellow students activists, and local and regional human rights groups kept their spirits high as they fought their case.

Rafzan is particularly thankful to a law student and activist whom he met during the trial. She was among those who assisted the seven to compile notes of the proceedings. Now his fiancee, they plan to marry in August.

Khairul Amal Mahmud said friends and course-mates had thrown their support behind him and that this gave him more confidence to go through the legal proceedings.

"But of course, there was a small number who had a different view of me," he added.

Helman was not as lucky, having been subjected to a two-month 'cold war' by his family when he was suspended by his university. He is sixth of 10 children.

"The university sent the suspension letter to my hometown in Sabah and my parents got very angry. We did not have any contact initially, but after two months, my whole family flew all the way to Kuala Lumpur to look for me," he recalled.

"My parents gradually came to understand what happened to me and now they often visit me in Kuala Lumpur. I too go back to Sabah, and the family has become closer," he said.

Student activism

In retrospect, Helman said he sees positive moves in student activism as a result of the arrest of the ISA 7. The student movement, which was at its most vocal in the 1970s, had gone to sleep after a clampdown on activism in 1980s.

On the first anniversary of the arrest, several students came together to declare the day as Undergraduates' Rights Day. It also remembered the arrest of two student leaders under the ISA, shortly after the ISA 7 were detained.

The duo, Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin and Mohamad Fuad Mohd Ikhwan, were arrested after a fire gutted the Dewan Tunku Cancelor building in Universiti Malaya. The cause was subsequently traced to faulty wiring.

The 'ISA 7' case also became the catalyst for the formation of the Malaysia Undergraduates Solidarity (SMM) coalition in early 2004. This comprises nine national student groups.

"We are grateful for their support...it was good to see the formation of SMM which has brought together students from different universities to struggle for a common cause," Helman said.

SMM has worked to raise awareness of violations of student rights.

Among these were cases of persecution of a final-year Universiti Sains Malaysia student for allegedly campaigning for an opposition candidate; irregularities in the campus elections; and the ISA 7 trial.

It is also lobbying for abolition of the restrictive UUCA, which curbs the involvement of academicians and students in organised activities including politics.

Unfinished business

While most would think their acquittal has opened a new chapter in their lives, the ISA 7 find that victory has come at a price - and the prospect of another legal battle as the Attorney-General's Chambers has appealed against the court's decision.

In the meantime, there is the unfinished business of trying to resume their studies. Most of the students are now working with private firms, with only one having completed his studies in a private college.

Wan Sanusi is running his own business and is married with two children - the second was born three days after his acquittal.

Last week, Helman became the first in the group to receive a letter from UiTM saying that his application to be reinstated had been rejected on the ground that his study term had lapsed over the course of the suspension.

"Why are they delaying our chance to resume our studies? I remember the universities were very efficient and quick when they suspended us," asked Wan Sanusi, after being told that Helman's application had been rejected.

The others are now anxious about their status as they have yet to hear from their respective authorities.

The UUCA states that any student charged with criminal offence shall immediately cease to be a student if found guilty. By implication, if the student is freed of the charge, then he or she should be allowed to continue studying.

UiTM's decision also appears to have contradicted the government's stand on the issue. Former education minister Musa Mohamed had stated that the ISA 7 could only be reinstated if they apologise or when the court cleared them.

"We remain hopeful," was all Khairul Amal could say, on behalf of the group that has gone through so much together.