Malaysian Bar voices concern over Siti Kasim being charged

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Bar has voiced its concern on lawyer Siti Zabedah Kasim, or also known as Siti Kasim, being charged on June 22 under Section 186 of the Penal Code for allegedly obstructing an officer of the Federal Territory Religious Department (Jawi) from carrying out her duties during a raid on an event at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysian Bar president George Varughese, in a statement yesterday, said Siti Kasim was present at the function in her capacity as an advocate and solicitor for the organisers and participants of the event and she had identified herself as a lawyer and enquired about the basis for the raid.
"As such, she was discharging her professional duties as a lawyer at the time that the alleged offence was said to have been committed. A lawyer must at all times be allowed to advance a client's rights without obstruction or impediment, or fear of prosecution for carrying out his or her duties as an officer of the court," he said.
Varughese added the charge against Siti Kasim is in clear contravention of Principle 16 of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.
Siti Kasim had claimed that she was arrested during the April 3 raid by the officers despite identifying herself as a lawyer and as a guest during a dinner at a transgender beauty pageant.
She was later kept waiting for several hours at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters before being told that she was not under arrest.