Kuala Lumpur: A Malaysian teenager banished from his home state for alleged involvement in armed robberies may soon be allowed to return to his parents after nearly a year away, government lawyers said Thursday.
The case of Jagendran Panir Selvam has drawn attention to criticism by human rights activists of the government's use of security laws to detain criminal suspects without trial or to exile them to remote districts.
Jagendran was 17 when he was arrested under Malaysia's Emergency Ordinance in Selangor last December. Since then, he has been living (50km) away from his parents.
Government prosecutors claim Jagendran and several friends broke into four schools and stole computers, CD players, cameras and cash.
They were allegedly armed with machetes and tied up security guards, but none was ever charged because of insufficient evidence, the lawyers said.
They were released from police custody in March, but were ordered to live indefinitely in specially assigned districts where authorities could monitor them. Jagendran's family filed a court challenge in May, saying that he did no wrong, and seeking his return.
The Attorney General's office has agreed to submit a request to the Home Ministry for Jagendran's return because the family's interests outweigh any danger he still may pose, according to government lawyer Najib Zakaria.
It was unclear how soon the request might be approved, but Jagendran would still need to report regularly to police.
The family's lawyer, Daniel Albert, said Jadengran's return would not eliminate concerns among legal activists about other minors who have been detained or banished.
"How can we detain a minor without the right to legal counsel, without the right of being heard?" Albert said
No comments:
Post a Comment