LFL slams preacher's imprisonment for sedition
Its executive director, Zaid Malek, said it is the “moral duty” of the Pakatan Harapan government to ensure that Wan Ji does not continue to languish in prison for the charge.
“It is appalling and unacceptable that Wan Ji has now fallen victim to...
Human rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has slammed the nine-month imprisonment of preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin over a 2014 sedition case linked to the Selangor sultan.
Its executive director, Zaid Malek, said it is the “moral duty” of the Pakatan Harapan government to ensure that Wan Ji does not continue to languish in prison for the charge.
“It is appalling and unacceptable that Wan Ji has now fallen victim to the repressive Sedition Act 1948, an act notorious for its infringement of freedom of speech.
“Adding salt to the wound is that his imprisonment is under a Harapan-led government, which previously championed the abolition of the Sedition Act,” Zaid (above) said in a statement today.
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Yesterday, Wan Ji began serving nine months in prison over a 2014 sedition case linked to the Selangor sultan after the Court of Appeal unanimously allowed his appeal to reduce his sentence which the High Court previously enhanced.
However, the bench did not allow his appeal to quash the conviction.
On April 9, 2018, the Shah Alam Sessions Court found Wan Ji, who was the former religious adviser to the Penang chief minister, guilty of sedition and imposed a nine-month jail sentence. Both the accused as well as the prosecution appealed over the sentencing.
Following yesterday’s verdict, Muda urged the coalition government, especially Harapan, to stick to its reform agenda to abolish the Sedition Act.
‘Anwar can’t remain silent’
Elaborating, Zaid said the colonial-era Sedition Act has a chilling effect on free speech and militates against the sense of justice.
“It is a moral imperative and duty of Harapan, which promised repeal, to ensure that Wan Ji does not continue to endure imprisonment under this draconian law.
“As such, the Selangor government, which is led by Harapan and has a menteri besar from PKR, must do the right thing and advise the state ruler to pardon Wan Ji under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution.
“Under Article 42(4)(b), the ruler exercises the power of pardon on the advice of the Selangor Pardons Board. And by virtue of Article 42(5), the Selangor menteri besar is a member of the Pardons Board,” Zaid noted.
He urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim not to remain silent on the matter, as the PKR president had, while he was in the opposition, spoken out against Wan Ji’s sedition conviction by the High Court.
“He called the sentence ‘harsh’ and ‘not consistent with the democratic transition’. Now, Anwar as the prime minister, is in a position to redress the injustice done to Wan Ji.
“The attorney-general in his capacity as the federal government and prime minister’s chief legal adviser also sits as a member of the Selangor Pardons Board under Article 42(5) and must advise to grant pardon in Wan Ji’s case,” said Zaid.
According to him, allowing Wan Ji to languish in prison would be a black mark upon the country and its judiciary.
‘Sentence an abomination’
Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy also weighed in, saying that the appellate court’s order for Wan Ji to serve his nine-month prison sentence is an abomination.
"Prior to Wan Ji’s case, sedition cases convicted at the High Court or Court of Appeal only involved fines. With the Sedition Act still in place with its ambiguous provisions and disproportionately heavy penalties, Wan Ji’s jail sentence sets a chilling precedent for further unwarranted criminalisation of freedom of expression in Malaysia," said Sevan.
He chided members of the government for their 'pin-drop silence' over Wan Ji's sentence, saying that this may continue for as long as the government continues failing to institute the necessary legislative reforms to uphold freedom of expression.
According to Sevan, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) under the Harapan administration in 2018 not only decided to resume prosecuting Wan Ji under the Sedition Act, but also appealed for a stiffer jail sentence of one year.
Five years later, the appeal was allowed to continue, which contravened the manifesto’s promise to abolish the draconian law.
"It is also noteworthy that some lawmakers from the Pakatan Harapan coalition, namely Anwar and Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzail acknowledged the severity of Wan Ji’s jail sentence and stood in solidarity with him in 2019.
"Freedom of expression is not some fashionable privilege of the day to be championed when in opposition and withdrawn when in power.
“By continuing to enforce the Sedition Act, the government will continue to betray the spirit of democracy – by sanctioning self-censorship, stifling crucial debates on matters of public interest, and victimising individuals who tend to speak out such as human rights defenders and political dissidents," Sevan added.
He said that Suaram demanded the government to demonstrate its commitment to uphold freedom of expression by implementing a plan to repeal the Sedition Act with a clear timeline and pending its repeal to enforce a moratorium on all cases.
It also called for the dropping of all charges under the Sedition Act, with immediate release of those detained.
This lfl guy looks like a rempit who sells burgers in a pasar malam… but he has a point