Ngo Urges Top Judges To Intervene Over Private Prosecution Bid

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The Global Human Rights Federation has urged the judiciary’s top judges to address multiple postponements on their appeal for a private prosecution bid against alleged hate preachers.
This comes after the Court of Appeal postponed the appeal hearing for the third time today.
“Why is a straightforward judgment so difficult to deliver?
“We urge Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Chief Judge of Malaya Hasnah Hashim to intervene and address this matter.
“The ongoing delays are deeply concerning and it is imperative that the court provides clarity and resolution without further postponements,” its president S Shashi Kumar said in a statement today.
When contacted, Shashi’s counsel A Ravichandran confirmed the matter.
“It was first set at 9am but pushed to 2.30pm. Later, we got a call from the court interpreter saying it has been postponed too,” he told Malaysiakini.
Asked whether any reasons were given, Ravichandran replied in the negative.
“My client is upset and I find it difficult to explain,” he added.
In 2021, GHRF filed for private prosecution under Section 133 of the Criminal Procedure Code against Islamic preachers Muhammad Zamri Vinoth and Firdaus Wong.
However, on Sept 3 of that year, magistrate Mohamad Redza Azhar Rezali dismissed the application, with the Shah Alam High Court affirming the dismissal of the private prosecution bid last year.
Shashi had since approached the Court of Appeal for redress.
‘Beyond frustrated’
Elaborating, Shashi said his appeal has been postponed since August and he is now “beyond frustrated”.
“Since August, the decision has been postponed multiple times. On Nov 19, we were notified at the last minute, while we were already at court, that one of the panel judges had an emergency.
Muhammad Zamri Vinoth (left) and Firdaus Wong“Today, the decision was initially scheduled for 9am but upon arrival, we were informed it had been postponed to 2:30pm.
“Worse, at 1pm, I got a call from our lawyer informing me the matter has been postponed once again, with no explanation provided or any new dates given,” he lamented.
As the world celebrates Human Rights Day today, the NGO leader emphasised the need to respect fundamental rights and freedoms that every individual is entitled to, underscoring the urgency of upholding justice and fairness in all matters.
“And this includes the resolution of our case as mentioned in Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states ‘all are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law’.”
A court official who requested anonymity said the case has been postponed to Dec 17. - Mkini

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