KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Sept 2008: Blogger Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin filed a habeas corpus application at the High Court here today seeking his release from detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
The notice of motion was filed at the High Court criminal registry at about 3.45pm via Messrs Mathews Hun Kandiah.
One of his counsel, Asok Kandiah, said a certificate of urgency was also filed to get an early date for the hearing of the application.
In his application, Raja Petra alleged that the detention was unlawful and contravened the Federal Constitution.
His wife, Mable @ Marina Lee in an affidavit in support, said that the detention of her husband was not in accordance with the law and the arrest was made in bad faith.
Marina claimed that the action by the police to detain under ISA was just to silence him and also to extract information concerning his sources for articles he had written in his weblog, Malaysia Today.
She said Raja Petra had been charged with several offences and the cases were still pending in the court and so far no conviction had been recorded against him.
"Therefore Raja Petra is innocent of any crime," she said.
She added that Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Syed Albar had reportedly said prior the detention that Raja Petra would only be detained under the ISA after exhausting all other remedies.
"Trials of all cases against him (Raja Petra) are still pending and all remedies have not been exhausted," she said.
Raja Petra was arrested on 12 Sept at his home in Sg Buloh, followed by Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng and Seputeh Member of Parliament (MP) Teresa Kok Suh Sim.
Kok filed a similar application at the High Court yesterday while Tan was freed after being detained for 18 hours.
Meanwhile, Marina was allowed to visit her husband at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman this morning.
Marina, accompanied by her two daughters, Sarah, 19, and Suraya, 34, and several supporters arrived at Bukit Aman at 10.30am but only the family was allowed to see him.
They brought along medication, chocolates and fizzy drinks and spent one-and-a-half hours with him.
Marina said she told Raja Petra that she would return and get him out within the next four days.
She said Raja Petra’s lawyers would be meeting him on 18 Sept to discuss his detention. – Bernama
