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All Malaysians Are Urged To Show Support To
"Save Justice, Free Karpal"
By Attending His Sedition Trial In The High Court At 9
am Tuesday 8 May
2001 In The Jalan Raja Sulaiman Courthouse
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Press Statement By DAP National Vice-Chairman Lim
Guan Eng In
Petaling Jaya
On 4 May 2001.
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All Malaysians are urged to show support to DAP
National Deputy
Chairman
Karpal Singh who is facing a sedition charge for
comments made in the
course
of defending his client, former Deputy Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim, in court. If Karpal is convicted for carrying
out his duties
as a
lawyer in court, it will be a black day for justice.
All Malaysians are therefore urged to show solidarity
with Karpal
Singh by
attending his hearing in court at 9 am Tueday 8 May
2001 in the Jalan
Raja
Sulaiman Courthouse and participate in the "Save
Justice, Free Karpal"
campaign. Karpal Singh, former MP, one of Malaysia's
most prominent
defense
attorneys and lead counsel for Anwar was arrested
January 12, 2000,
for
statements he made in court during Anwar's sodomy
trial in September
1999.
The government's use of the Sedition Act against
Karpal Singh
violates the
United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of
Lawyers, which states
that
"lawyers shall enjoy civil and penal immunity for
relevant statements
made
in good faith in written or oral pleadings or in their
professional
appearances before a court." The charge also runs
counter to Malaysian
common law, which grants lawyers absolute privilege
for all
statements made
during legal proceedings.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union also condemned the
charge of sedition
against
Mr Karpal by adopting a resolution without a
vote at its 167th
session in
Jakarta on 21 October 2000 as follows: "Is
appalled at the sedition
charges
brought against Mr. Karpal Singh... and reaffirms that
the legal
action
taken against the defence counsel strikes at the very
heart of the
right to
fair trial and goes against not only the United
Nations Basic
Principles on
the Role of Lawyers but also Commonwealth
jurisprudence, which both
recognise that lawyers shall enjoy immunity from
prosecution for
statements
made in court."
DAP top leaders as well as those from BA are expected
to attend to
demonstrate the firm demand that the government stop
its political
vengeance
and persecution of Karpal Singa by dropping all
charges of sedition.
- LIM GUAN ENG -
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