Malaysia violated the human rights of Saudi Arabian columnist Hamza Kashgari by deporting him back to his country, where he will almost certainly be persecuted.
Kashgari’s deportation, said the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) in a statement today, was in violation of Articles 3, 10 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), of which Malaysia is a signatory.
This treaty makes it incumbent for governments to guarantee the right to life, liberty and security; that everyone is entitled to a fair trial and presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“Kashgari, whose case has attracted international media headlines, has been denied these rights,” Suhakam vice-chairperson Khaw Lake Tee said.
Khaw said Suhakam had tried to intervene in the deportation by writing to the home minister to consider Kashgari’s case in line with human rights principles, in particular the principle of non-refoulment, under which a person facing persecution in his country should not be repatriated.
She said Suhakam was “greatly disappointed” and “shocked” that the deportation on Sunday still took place.
‘Champion of double talk'
Suhakam also reiterated its call to the government, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, to uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.
Kashgari was handed over to the Saudi Arabian authorities, who picked him up at the KL International Airport on Sunday morning and took him away on a private jet.
He is wanted by the Riyadh authorities for blasphemy, punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, for his postings on Twitter, which allegedly insulted Prophet Muhammad.
In a related development, prominent US national daily theWashington Post called Malaysia a "champion of double talk" over Kashgari's deportation.
In an editorial today, the daily said Malaysia had effectively facilitated Kashgari's persecution in Saudi Arabia.
"The government of Malaysia claims to respect the rule of law but bundled Mr Kashgari onto a private Saudi jet Sunday in spite of a court order prohibiting his deportation," wrote the Washington Post.
The court order was obtained several hours after Kashgari was officially deported.
This treaty makes it incumbent for governments to guarantee the right to life, liberty and security; that everyone is entitled to a fair trial and presumed innocent until proven guilty.“Kashgari, whose case has attracted international media headlines, has been denied these rights,” Suhakam vice-chairperson Khaw Lake Tee said.
Khaw said Suhakam had tried to intervene in the deportation by writing to the home minister to consider Kashgari’s case in line with human rights principles, in particular the principle of non-refoulment, under which a person facing persecution in his country should not be repatriated.
She said Suhakam was “greatly disappointed” and “shocked” that the deportation on Sunday still took place.
‘Champion of double talk'
Suhakam also reiterated its call to the government, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, to uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.
Kashgari was handed over to the Saudi Arabian authorities, who picked him up at the KL International Airport on Sunday morning and took him away on a private jet.
He is wanted by the Riyadh authorities for blasphemy, punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, for his postings on Twitter, which allegedly insulted Prophet Muhammad.
In a related development, prominent US national daily theWashington Post called Malaysia a "champion of double talk" over Kashgari's deportation.
In an editorial today, the daily said Malaysia had effectively facilitated Kashgari's persecution in Saudi Arabia.
"The government of Malaysia claims to respect the rule of law but bundled Mr Kashgari onto a private Saudi jet Sunday in spite of a court order prohibiting his deportation," wrote the Washington Post.
The court order was obtained several hours after Kashgari was officially deported.
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