Suhakam visited stateless kids in Sabah police station, NGO says

 

NGO Borneo Komrad said officials from the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) have visited the students detained at the Kepayan police station in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

They were arrested over the #KamiMahuAirSabah protest (above) outside the Sabah chief minister’s office last week.

“Suhakam officials went to see the students at 11am,” Borneo Komrad manager Wan Shakila Adiela told Malaysiakini.

However, she said they were unsure of what transpired during the meet-up but were told Suhakam would be reaching out to the NGO.

A group of Sabah activists held a candlelight vigil last night in solidarity with nine undocumented persons arrested at last week’s protest.

The arrested were teacher Syahfeeq Rondin and eight students from Sekolah Alternatif, a school for stateless children, who were hauled up on June 14 during the rally.

Sabah Bersih coordinator Asraf Sharafi who was present at the vigil urged Putrajaya to help the detainees instead of arresting them.

“Those who were detained were part of a larger road tour (organised by Borneo Komrad) towards forming ‘Universiti Alternatif’.

“We hope that Syahfeeq and the students will be released soon so they can continue their education road tour,” Asraf was reported as saying.

Syahfeeq was released on police bail yesterday.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, Shakila confirmed that Syahfeeq was released at 3pm yesterday and is now spending time with family.

Asked about the students’ well-being, Shakila said the police have been treating them well - they are fed regularly and allowed to meet each other.

“Tomorrow, our lawyers and I will be visiting the students,” she added.

Asked whether any MPs or assemblypersons have reached out to them, both Shakila and Asraf replied in the negative.

Inhumane treatment

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Academic Movement (Gerak) condemned the authorities for detaining Syahfeeq and the students, some of whom are minors, calling it inhumane.

“We are of the opinion that the detention of Syahfeeq for two days and remanding the students for 15 days is uncalled for.

“It shows that they are being treated inhumanely,” it said in a statement.

Gerak then urged the authorities to release the students immediately, adding the arrests seemed to be an attempt to silence and intimidate teachers.

“The authorities must bear in mind that Malaysia is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was ratified in 1995.

“With that, the government committed itself to protect the rights of children within its borders, which includes the right to education, freedom of speech, and protection from indiscriminate detention.

“As such, the detention of the students (from the rally) goes against the convention,” Gerak stressed. - Mkini