Malaysia: Irene Fernandez triumphs in her 12-year struggle for justice
Posted: November 27, 2008
Human rights defender Irene Fernandez was acquitted on September 24, 2008.
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One of the longest-running court cases in Malaysian legal history ended on November 24, 2008, when human rights defender Irene Fernandez was acquitted.
Irene Fernandez, the founder and director of human rights organization Tenaganita, was arrested in 1996 for reporting that detained illegal immigrants suffered from malnutrition and torture.
A magistrate court held that she was guilty of “maliciously publishing false news”. Amnesty International believed Irene Fernandez was innocent and that she was being targeted for her work as a human rights defender. Amnesty members around the world campaigned on her behalf. Her case has featured in Amnesty's global Write-a-thons.
Seven years after her arrest, Fernandez was sentenced to one year's imprisonment, but she appealed, and was set free on bail. However, as a convicted person, she was barred from standing for parliament and she could not travel freely outside the country. Despite the court ruling, Fernandez and her group Tenaganita continued to work for the rights of migrant workers.
Then on November 24, 2008, Malaysia’s Public Prosecutor concluded that there had been “systematic errors” manifested in previous court records, and Fernandez was acquitted. Finally, her long struggle for justice was over.