Hishammuddin, police lied over Saudi’s repatriation, say activists

February 13, 2012

Hishammuddin lied, according to a human rights group

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 — A human rights group today accused the home minister and the police of lying about sending home a Saudi Arabian writer who faces death for an offence against Islam.

Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had also backtracked on Interpol’s involvement after the international agency had denied requesting for Hamza Kashgari’s arrest, the group, which calls itself Lawyers for Liberty, said in a statement today.

The activists said the authorities had used Interpol as an initial claim because they could not justify Kashgari’s arrest otherwise under international laws. The group claimed Kashgari was a political refugee.

“The cold hard truth is that Malaysia has bent over backwards to please Saudi Arabia, breached international law by not allowing Hamza to seek asylum and instead handed him on a silver platter to his persecutors and condemned him to torture and near certain death,” Lawyers for Liberty said.

The group stressed that the authorities were also lying to save face by claiming Kashgari was arrested upon arrival at the KL International Airport (KLIA) on February 9 instead of trying to leave the country to New Zealand. The group claimed Kashgari had been allowed in on February 7.

Lawyers for Liberty said it filed a habeas corpus application at the High Court today, and which will be heard at 9.30am tomorrow. It added that it will continue to campaign for Kashgari’s release from unlawful detention.

Kashgari, 23, is wanted by Saudi Arabian authorities for allegedly blaspheming Prophet Muhammad through a series of comments on Twitter,

Blasphemy is a crime punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, but not in Malaysia.