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Ucapan Nurul Izzah Di Geneva
Mr. Chairman,
My father was arrested on 20 September 1998 [after leading an
unprecedented rally calling for the resignation of Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad]. On the night of his arrest he was viciously
assaulted by the Inspector General of Police Abdul Rahim Noor. One of
the doctors who [later] examined my father concluded that € '³he is
lucky to be alive€ '´ [because the blows were so severe and aimed at
potentially fatal places.]
The way my father was arrested was an act of provocation, an insult
to human dignity and common sense. A squad of hooded elite police
commandos armed with sub machine guns broke into our home which was
packed with family members, friends, journalists and supporters, all
unarmed. Among them were women and children. Guns were pointed at my
younger brother and sister, aged 13 and 14.
My father was arrested under the [Section 377B of the] Penal Code.
But after he was so grievously assaulted by the nation€ '²s police
chief, his warrant of arrest was changed to that of under the
draconian Internal Security Act [which allows detention without
trial] to avoid having to produce him to court within 24 hours, to
cover up the police brutality. For nine agonzing days, they refused
to tell us where he was. They lied that he was safe and healthy, so
you can imagine our shock to learn that he was beaten so severely.
My father is a political prisoner. His prosecution [under the Penal
Code] is a means of political persecution. He was sacked [from the
government] because he called for reform of the economic and
political system. As Minister of Finance he declared that public
funds should not be used to bail out politically connected big
corporations. His prosecution is a result of a collusion and abuse of
power by several key government institutions.
In order to fabricate evidence against my father, the authorities
violated the rights of other people. Dr. Munawar Anees, a scholar and
a friend of my father, Sukma Darmawan, our adopted family member, and
Meor, a fashion designer, were arrested, coerced and cruelly tortured
by the police to extract so-called confessions that they were
sodomised by my father. Dr Munawar and Uncle Sukma were subjected to
sham court proceedings and sentenced to jail. These lies and
fabrications which have been manufactured through human right
violations not only hurt these men and our family , but also hurt the
credibility and sanctity of the government institutions we are
supposed to trust.
Although my father was charged and tried in a court of law, the trial
has been severely criticised by the legal community, in Malaysia and
internationally.[Amnesty International which has sent special
representatives to study the entire episode of my father€ '²s
sacking
and prosecution has declared my father as a prisoner of conscience.]
Although my father is a political prisoner he has been treated worse
than a common criminal. He has been denied bail although the crime he
was charged with is a bailable offence. The judge [in dismissing the
appeal for bail] claimed it would cost the government a lot of money
to control my father and his supporters.
My father Anwar Ibrahim is being kept under solitary confinement and
family visits are severely restricted. There were even times when his
legal counsel were denied visits.
Last year my father suffered sudden, severe and dramatic health
problems in detention. Initial lab test results [of his urine sample]
showed a dangerously high level of arsenic poisoning. The fear of
losing our loving father forever became very real. Instead of
appointing an independent team to investigate the poisoning [as had
been done in the case the beating of my father], the Attorney General
made irresponsible and malicious remarks; he implied that my mother
could have poisoned my father. When my father was hospitalised at the
National University Hospital, some of the doctors complained that
their offices were bugged and they were harassed [by senior officials
as high up as the Health Minister].
On the issue of impunity: While my father continues to be subjected
to human rights violations, the perpetrator of the grievous assault
against him remains free. The [now former] police chief Abdul Rahim
Noor was charged in court last year for € '³attempting€ '´ to cause
injury
to my father. He later admitted guilt to an amended and much milder
charge. He was given a light sentence [2 months€ '² jail and a fine
of
RM2,000/US540], and is out on bail pending appeal [against the
outrageously mild sentence]. Nothing was done to bring to book other
accomplices of the crime against my father.
It seems that the entire administration of justice in Malaysia is in
a severe state of crisis. Laws are being abused to inflict injury on
the innocent AND protect perpetrators of human right violations. Laws
are being abused to harass and prosecute my father€ '²s defence
counsel,
to prevent them from carrying out their professional duties. Mr.
Zainul Zakaria has been sentenced to 3 months€ '² jail for contempt
of
court and another lawyer Mr. Karpal Singh has been charged under the
Sedition Act [for what they said in the court while defending my
father]. Thus I appeal to this commission to intervene to protect the
rights of lawyers defending my father.
I appeal this commission to help secure the release of my father.
There is an urgent need to right wrongs inflicted upon him and the
other innocents who have been targeted for no other reason than their
association with my father or their peaceful work for reform.
I must say the experiences [of my family and supporters of the
Reformasi movement] of the past 18 months have helped us understand
the necessity of civil and political rights. The injustices
perpetrated in Malaysia have turned us into human rights activists
because we cannot ignore what is happening in our beloved country. As
a young Malaysian, I hope that you too, will not ignore this
desperate and difficult situation and intervene now, before it
worsens.
Mr Chairman, the members of this Commission may think that I am
na€ ïve
and idealistic in seeking its help to solve the injustices in my
country. The truth is, there is no other place left to seek mercy,
when we cannot expect justice from the national institutions meant to
protect our rights. Like the children and family members of political
prisoners around the world, we want our father to come home. My
younger sister, 7-year-old Nurul Hana, begged me to tell you of her
dream.
Thank you.
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