If Zaidi tried for going against superiors, IGP should be tried too, forum told

Lawyers for Liberty co-founder Eric Paulsen was arrested over a tweet in which he said the Malaysian Islamic Development Department was promoting extremism in Friday sermons. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 16, 2015.The International Commission of Jurists today called on Putrajaya to immediately end the sedition probe against human rights lawyer Eric Paulsen.In a statement, the Swiss-based ICJ said it condemned the arrest and police probe against Paulsen, the co-founder of Lawyers for Liberty.“The ICJ condemns the arrest and investigation of Paulsen under the archaic 1948 Sedition Act.“The ICJ is gravely concerned to see Paulsen become the latest victim added to a string of prominent legal professionals such as Edmund Bon, N. Surendran and Dr Azmi Sharom who have either been investigated or charged under the Sedition Act 1948," said ICJ regional director for Asia and the Pacific Sam Zarifi.Zarifi said the ICJ had repeatedly called for the repeal of the Sedition Act as its provisions were incompatible with international law and standards on human rights and the rule of law.The ICJ has denounced Putrajaya’s use of the Sedition Act to restrict the freedom of expression of lawyers and other human rights defenders.“The act is thus incompatible with the right to freedom of expression as recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," it said.“Its application to Mr Paulsen is also inconsistent with the 1998 UN Declaration on human rights defenders, and the 1990 UN basic principles on the role of lawyers."Paulsen was arrested on January 12 and released two days later over a tweet in which he said the Malaysian Islamic Development Department was promoting extremism in Friday sermons.“Jakim is promoting extremism every Friday. Govt needs to address that if serious about extremism in Malaysia," he had said.The tweet was later deleted following an uproar online, which led to a police report by Umno Youth Religious Bureau chairman Azmir Yuzaimi Mohd Yunos.Paulsen had also made a police report after receiving death threats following the backlash over his tweet. – January 16, 2015.