Petaling Jaya, Feb 24- Hindraf leader, P Uthayakumar who is currently serving his sentence for sedition charges claimed that the Kajang Prison authorities and police defied court orders by not allowing him to meet his family members and lawyers.
“The judge allowed my family and lawyers to meet me for one hour at the basement lock up but Prison Inspector Sajideh told me that the court police has in turn refused this court order ” Uthayakumar said in a press statement.
He said this in relation to the turn of events on Feb 18 when the High Court upheld the Sessions Court judgment. The lower court sentenced him to two and a half years behind bars under the Sedition Act.
High Court judge Azman Husin said that Uthayakumar’s appeal was dismissed because the lower court did not err in its judgment.
The sentence was given for penning a letter in which he alleged that the government practiced genocide and ethnic cleansing against Indian ethnic minorities in Taman Medan 13 years ago.
“And his orders from the Prisons Department Director is to bring me back immediately.
Inspector Sajideh, Wardens Dawood and Azlan grabbed and dragged me, while being handcuffed, to the prison in a ‘Black maria’,” said Uthayakumar.
Uthayakumar also revealed that this was not the first time the Prisons Department defied court orders.
“Despite the High Court Judge’s order dated 9/12/13 and vide his letter dated 12/12/13 ordering the Kajang Prison Director to take me to be treated by HUKM consultant neurosurgeon Dr Shanmugarajah, it is over two months now but refused to be done.
“Also the judges order not complied is that I be detained at the Prison Hospital or security wing as done for other Malay and Chinese political leaders,” he said.
He added that the Prisons Department has instead confined him in the block that placed death row detainees.
Uthayakumar was a practicing lawyer and was previously detained under the now defunct Internal Security Act for 18 months after leading the Hindraf rally in Kuala Lumpur.
-FreeMalaysiaToday
