Suaram slams Bangladeshi politician's deportation order

 

Suaram has condemned the Immigration Department's order to deport Bangladeshi opposition politician MA Quayum, in violation of a court order.

As such, the human rights group's executive director Sevan Doraisamy urged Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to intervene on the matter and halt the deportation.

"Quayum’s lawyers were only informed of this development six days later (after the deportation order dated Jan 24). Whether Quayum is still in Malaysia or has been deported is uncertain.

"We strongly condemn this deportation order, as this is in defiance of the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision on Jan 18 to stay Quayum’s deportation until the conclusion of the latter’s habeas corpus application proceedings," Sevan said in a statement today.

According to him, the court order violation belies the claims of provision of “humanitarian assistance” to refugees and asylum seekers propounded by the Malaysian delegation in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session last Friday.

In addition, it also reinforces Malaysia’s "notorious" reputation in the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers - which includes arbitrary arrests, detention and deportation, Sevan lamented.

Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy

"It is also noteworthy that Malaysia’s longstanding lack of a national policy framework for the protection of this marginalised group has come under the spotlight for the first time since the first UPR cycle, with corresponding or similar recommendations given by at least eight countries from Europe, South America, Western Africa and South Asia.

“Violation of the principle of non-refoulment contravenes the fundamental human rights principles of freedom, justice and security for all that the Madani government has so fervently propounded to 131 countries at the international stage on Jan 25," he said.

"As Malaysia seeks to cooperate with other countries, UN agencies and other key partners to 'further improve efforts to aid refugees and asylum seekers', it is imperative that the government also respects and protects the rights of refugees, including refraining from forcibly returning them to a country where they may face harm," added Sevan.

Nabbed during joint operation

Quayum was apprehended in a joint operation conducted by the Malaysian police and the National Security Intelligence (NSI) of Bangladesh on Jan 12 at his residence in Ampang.

Suaram previously alleged that Quayum's detention request was part of a systematic crackdown by the Bangladeshi government against political opposition.

Quayum has reportedly been under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme since 2015.

However, the documents show that his MM2H pass was revoked after he was detained one day after the stay order was issued. - Mkini