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SINGAPORE – The High Court of Malaysia has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Malaysian rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) against Singapore’s Home Secretary K. Shanmugam.
The lawsuit was filed by the non-governmental organization (NGO) on January 24 of this year, in response to an instruction from the Law on Protection against Falsehood and Online Manipulation (Pofma) issued to the group on January 22.
At the time, Pofma’s management had asked the NGO to insert a correction notice at the top of an article posted on its website, which according to the Ministry of the Interior (MHA) contained “false, unfounded and absurd allegations about judicial executions carried out in Changi Prison “.
As the LFL had not served its court papers on Mr. Shanmugam and subsequently suspended his requests to renew the papers due to reasons not disclosed by the organization, the Malaysian High Court on Monday (September 21) dismissed the lawsuit.
In a statement Thursday, the MHA called the LFL’s legal action “unfounded,” saying this was demonstrated by the fact that it had decided not to pursue the legal action.
“The LFL’s conduct in commencing its legal action, publicizing it and then failing to prosecute the matter, which led to its dismissal by the Malaysian High Court, is consistent with the way the LFL has conducted itself thus far. said the MHA.
“LFL made sensational accusations against the Singapore Prison Service and the treatment of prisoners, and promised to present evidence.
“But nothing was presented to substantiate his outlandish and completely false accusations.”
The LFL had claimed in a statement on January 16 this year that Singapore’s prison officials were instructed to kick the back of a prisoner’s neck with great force to break it, if the rope breaks during a hanging.
Pofma’s office then invoked the Act and ordered the NGO and three parties who shared the allegations (Singaporean activist Kirsten Han, The Online Citizen website and Yahoo Singapore) to correct the false statements.
The Straits Times has contacted LFL for comment on the Malaysian High Court decision.
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