Joint Letter to the Prime Minister (full text pdf) | Joint letter to the Attorney General (full text pdf)
Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada was among twelve human rights organizations that co-signed letters to Malaysia’s Prime Minister and Attorney General expressing deep concern about the decision of Malaysian authorities to prosecute human rights defender Lena Hendry for her involvement in the screening of the award-winning human rights documentary, “No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka,” in Kuala Lumpur on July 9, 2013. The charges against her violate Malaysia’s obligations to respect the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, notably to receive and impart information. Her trial in Magistrate Court 6 in Kuala Lumpur is scheduled to begin on December 14, 2015. The joint letter urges the Malaysian government to drop the charges against Ms. Hendry. In addition to LRWC, signatories include Human Rights Watch, Index on Censorship, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Front Line Defenders, Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), Civil Rights Defenders, Amnesty International, Fortify Rights, Article 19, World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) and International Commission of Jurists.
