Sunday, July 26, 2020

Keluarga Rayhan lantik peguam, NGO gesa perbicaraan adil(Malaysiakini) - refers to MADPET statement.


# This report carries MADPET's comment, from its Media Statement issued.

BERITA

Keluarga Rayhan lantik peguam, NGO gesa perbicaraan adil

Diterbitkan
Susulan penangkapan dan penahanan Md Rayhan Kabir, keluarga warga Bangladesh itu telah melantik perwakilan undang-undang.

Peguam K Sumitha Shaanthinni dan C Selvaraja akan mewakili pemuda 25 tahun itu.

"Polis dan imigresen dimaklumkan melalui e-mel hari ini. Dalam surat kami, kami meminta tarikh untuk bertemu dengan anak guam kami.

"Kami akan berada di Bukit Aman pada hari Isnin (27 Julai) jam 2 petang untuk bertemu dengan anak guam kami," kata Sumitha dalam satu kenyataan kepada Malaysiakini.

Imigresen mula memburu Rayhan setelah dia muncul dalam dokumentari Al Jazeera "Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown"

Jabatan itu juga telah menarik balik permit kerjanya.

Polis menahan Rayhan semalam dan akan menyoal siasatnya sebagai sebahagian daripada siasatan ke atas dokumentari tersebut.

Ketua Pengarah Imigresen, Khairul Dzaimee Daud berkata Rayhan akan diusir dari negara dan "menyenarai hitam" dia dari memasuki Malaysia pada masa akan datang.

Menteri Dalam Negeri Hamzah Zainuddin, yang memantau jabatan polis dan imigresen, mengatakan Rayhan akan direman selama 14 hari di pusat tahanan imigresen.

Rayhan menegaskan bahawa dia bercakap benar ketika ditemu ramah oleh Al Jazeera mengenai dakwaan penganiayaan terhadap pendatang tanpa izin oleh pihak berkuasa Malaysia semasa tempoh perintah kawalan pergerakan (PKP)

Ketika dihubungi, Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Bangladesh Md Shahidul Islam (gambar) memberitahu Malaysiakini bahawa dia telah meminta maklumat mengenai Rayhan dari pihak berkuasa Malaysia melalui "saluran diplomatik".

"Inisiatif diambil langkah demi langkah sesuai keperluan," katanya, yang enggan mengulas lanjut.

Shahidul kemudian memberitahu akhbar Bangladesh, Bangla Tribune bahawa suruhanjaya tinggi itu meminta kebenaran untuk membolehkan pegawai kedutaan berbincang dengan Rayhan.

Sementara itu, Al Jazeera dalam kenyataan di Twitter mengulas penangkapan Rayhan dengan berkata:"Al Jazeera mendapati adalah sangat mengganggu apabila pekerja asing Bangladesh Md Rayhan Kabir telah ditangkap kerana memilih untuk bercakap tentang beberapa pengalaman golongan yang tidak mempunyai suara".

Al Jazeera juga menyorot bahawa Rayhan juga mengalami gangguan secara dalam talian.

Pastikan keselamatan ketika dalam tahanan

Dua NGO hak asasi manusia sejak itu menegaskan agar Rayhan diadili di mahkamah dan bukannya "dideportasi secara sewenang-wenang" sebelum dibuktikan bersalah.

Pengarah eksekutif Inisiatif Utara-Selatan Adrian Pereira mendesak Peguam Negara Idrus Harun untuk memastikan kedaulatan undang-undang ditegakkan dalam kes ini.

"Peguam Negara harus memastikan peraturan undang-undang dan bukan peraturan menurut undang-undang bagaimana Jabatan Imigresen menuduh Rayhan.

"Rayhan mesti diberi perbicaraan yang adil untuk membolehkannya menjelaskan dirinya sendiri dan tidak dihantar pulang secara sewenang-wenang," katanya kepada Malaysiakini.

Pereira juga mendesak kerajaan untuk memastikan keselamatan Rayhan ketika dalam tahanan.

"Apa yang berlaku dalam tahanan adalah sesuatu yang dikhuatiri oleh banyak aktivis dan badan sivil.

"Setelah ditahan, kerajaan harus memastikan keselamatannya," tegasnya.
Pereira juga menggesa reformasi undang-undang imigresen untuk memastikan para pendatang tidak akan menjadi korban atau dideportasi setelah mereka membuat aduan.

Peguam Charles Hector Fernandez dari NGO Malaysia Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) juga bersetuju bahawa mahkamah harus memutuskan sama ada Rayhan perlu dihantar pulang atau tidak.

Dia tidak setuju bahawa pengusiran diputuskan melalui keputusan "pentadbiran".

"Sekiranya pengusiran itu tidak dihentikan, kebimbangannya adalah banyak pihak yang percaya bahawa Malaysia hanya berusaha untuk mengelakkan perbicaraan yang adil.

“Sekiranya Malaysia benar-benar yakin bahawa dia melakukan jenayah, maka tuduh dan bicara di mahkamah Malaysia sesuai dengan undang-undang Malaysia.

"Untuk menunjukkan bahawa Rayhan bersalah hanya kerana dia muncul di dokumentari tersebut, mungkin tidak masuk akal," kata Fernandez dalam satu kenyataan. - Malaysiakini, 25/7/2020


Family appoints lawyers for Rayhan, NGOs call for fair trial

Published
The family of Bangladeshi national Mohd Rayhan Kabir (above, centre) has appointed legal representation for him following his arrest and detention.

Lawyers K Sumitha Shaanthinni and C Selvaraja will be representing the 25-year-old.

“The police and immigration were informed via email today. In our letter, we sought a date to meet our client.

“We will be at Bukit Aman on Monday (July 27) at 2 pm to meet our client,” Sumitha said in a statement to Malaysiakini.

Immigration authorities began looking for Rayhan after he appeared in the Al Jazeera documentary “Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown”.

The department also controversially revoked his work permit.

Police arrested Rayhan yesterday and will proceed to question him as part of its probe into the documentary.

Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud has vowed to deport and “blacklist” him from entering Malaysia again.

Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin, who oversees the police and immigration departments, said Rayhan will be remanded for 14 days at an immigration detention centre.

Rayhan has insisted that he spoke the truth when interviewed by Al Jazeera about the alleged mistreatment of undocumented migrants by Malaysian authorities during the movement control order period.

When contacted, Bangladesh High Commissioner Mohd Shahidul Islam told Malaysiakini that he had sought information about Rayhan from Malaysian authorities through “diplomatic channels”.

 Shahidul Islam
“Initiatives are being taken step by step as per requirement,” he said, declining to elaborate.

He later told Bangladeshi newspaper Bangla Tribune that the high commission was seeking consular access to allow its officials to speak to Rayhan.

Fair trial call

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera tweeted its response to Rayhan’s arrest.

“Al Jazeera finds it disturbing that Bangladeshi migrant worker Mohd Rayhan Kabir has been arrested for choosing to speak up about some of the experiences of the voiceless and the vulnerable,” it said, pointing out that he was also subject to abusive harassment online.
Two human rights NGO have since insisted that he be tried in court instead of being “arbitrarily deported” before any guilt was established.

North-South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira urged Attorney-General Idrus Harun to ensure the rule of law was upheld in this case.

“The AG must ensure rule of law and not rule by law in how the Immigration Department alleges and accuses Rayhan.

“Rayhan must be given a fair trial to allow him to explain himself and not be arbitrarily deported,” he told Malaysiakini.

Pereira also urged the government to ensure Rayhan’s safety while in custody.

“What happens in detention is something many activists and groups are concerned about. Once under custody, the government must ensure their safety,” he stressed.

He further called for immigration law reform to ensure migrants would not be victimised or deported once they lodged a complaint.

Lawyer Charles Hector Fernandez of the NGO Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) also agreed that it was up to the courts to decide if Rayhan needed to be deported.

He disagreed that deportation be decided through an “administrative” decision.

“If the deportation is not stopped, the concern is that many will believe that Malaysia is simply trying to avoid a fair trial.

“If Malaysia is truly convinced that he is guilty of a crime, then charge and try him in the Malaysian courts in accordance with Malaysian laws.

“To suggest that Rayhan is ‘guilty’ simply because he appeared in the said documentary is maybe unreasonable,” Fernandez said in a statement. - Malaysiakini, 25/7/2020

See full statement at

Deportation of Human Rights Defender Md Rayhan Kabir will undermine the administration of justice in Malaysia(MADPET)


See earlier relevant posts at

Deportation of Rayhan will undermine the rule of law (Malaysian Insight)




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