For those of you who may not know, about 100 people are currently conducting a hunger strike outside the Sungai Buloh Prison in Selangor, alongside their family members who are being detained inside.
This is being done to call for the detainees, who are being held under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, also known as SOSMA, to be released or charged for their suspected crimes accordingly.
Based on a report by Sinar Harian, the former President of the Prisoners’ Welfare Organisation (Popoc), Ganesan M Krishnan, has revealed that the 69 detainees were suspected of committing criminal activities and will be held for 1 to 3 years.
The hunger strike involving the detainees and their family members, which include children as young as 3-years-old, is to urge the government to ensure the justice they deserve.
Among the participants is 30-year-old N Megavinotini, who shared that her family’s life has been affected after her husband was detained since June of 2022.
“Our family’s life is very affected right now, we are not asking for SOSMA to be abolished, I just want proper justice.”
“If he is found guilty, judge him appropriately and not in this way, which is that he is detained for a long period of time until it has affected me and our children’s emotions,” she said.
In the meantime, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Legislation and Institutional Reform) Ramkarpal Singh shared that the proposal to improve SOSMA has been examined together with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Attorney General’s Department.
He has since also called for the family members of the detainees to end their hunger strike while the law reform process is underway, for the sake of their young children who are also present outside of the Sungai Buloh Prison.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
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