WE, the undersigned civil society organisations, are gravely concerned with the continued use of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) in spite of Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto to abolish the draconian provisions of this law that permits detention without trial. In addition, Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad stated in July 2018 that Sosma would be abolished.
The arrest and detention of at least 12 individuals with alleged links to the long-defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militant group is not only a betrayal of these promises but stands as yet another failure by the Pakatan administration in upholding fundamental principles of the rule of law and the right to fair trial.