Defiant lawyers to march on Sunday

Malaysiakini | The Human Rights Day march was called off but some lawyers will still march to send a message that Malaysians have the right to a peaceful assembly. Edmund Bon said the Bar Council will move its “Festival of Rights” to its own building due to police insistence that a permit be sought for the event at Central Market, which the lawyers cannot do, on a day meant to celebrate freedoms.

When Lawyers Walk

Pusat KOMAS | The Malaysian Bar went on a “Walk of Justice” over the video clip showing a prominent lawyer purportedly brokering the appointment of judges with a senior judge. The march was organised by the then Deputy Chair of the Human Rights Committee of the Malaysian Bar, Amer Hamzah Arshad, and the then Chair of the Human Rights Committee, Edmund Bon Tai Soon, among others.

Walk for Justice: “When lawyers walk, something must be very wrong”

The Malaysian Bar | “Lawyers don’t walk everyday. Not even every month. But when they walk, then something must be very wrong,” said Chairman of the Bar Council Ambiga Sreenevasan when addressing a strong crowd of more than 2,000 members of the Malaysian Bar and some concerned citizens at the Palace of Justice before the commencement of the walk to the Prime Minister’s office to hand over the Bar’s memorandum urging the government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to probe the state of judiciary and memorandum on the establishment of a judicial appointments and promotion commission.

Spotlight: Legal Conscience

Malaysian Bar | The job description today for Edmund Bon, a lawyer dedicated to human rights protection, includes advocating issues, creating awareness, and training students, academicians, government officials and NGOs on the legal aspects of human rights, as well as delivering papers locally and internationally.

Where are the young lawyers?

New Straits Times | Last July, the Legal Profession Act was amended to repeal section 46A, which prohibited lawyers with less than seven years’ standing from running for elections, but young lawyers are not running as candidates for the 2007–2008 Bar Council elections. National Young Lawyers Committee chairman Edmund Bon said it will take time for them to get in the council.

YL Personality: Amer Hamzah bin Arshad

Malaysian Bar | Amer Hamzah Arshad shared about criminal practice, legal aid, human rights, and the Bar Council. He believed in “being for the truth no matter who tells it; being for justice no matter who it is for or against; being a human being first and foremost, and as such he is for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”.

Student seeks to have charge withdrawn

The Star | A student charged with causing the death of a restaurant patron with her dangerous driving is seeking to have the charge withdrawn by the AGC. Counsel Edmund Bon urged the court to postpone the trial pending the outcome of the request.

Irene Fernandez jailed for a year

The Star | A magistrate court found Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez guilty of maliciously publishing false news about eight years ago in a memorandum titled Abuse, Torture, and Dehumanised Treatment of Migrant Workers at Detention Camps. Defence counsel Edmund Bon said an appeal would be filed.

Fernandez allowed to reply from dock

The Star | Counsel Edmund Bon asked the court to allow Fernandez to reply to written submissions of the prosecution from the dock as lead counsel M. Puravalen was in Pakistan on a human rights fact-finding mission and could not submit a reply to the court. Amer Hamsah Arshad also appeared for the defence. 

KL Bar starts off campaign to repeal law

The Star | The KL Bar Committee started the ball rolling for young lawyers of the Malaysian Bar to serve in the Bar Council or any of the state bar committees. KL Bar’s Young Lawyers Committee secretary Edmund Bon said they would forward the nationwide petition, together with a memorandum and a working paper, to the AGC and the government at the end of the one-year campaign. 

Repeal S46A campaign not meant to challenge senior lawyers

Malaysiakini | Amer Hamzah Arshad, a Kuala Lumpur Bar Young Lawyers committee member, said the campaign to repeal section 46A of the Legal Profession Act 1976 is not an attempt by young lawyers to challenge their seniors. The campaign aimed to abolish the inequalities entrenched in the Act and allow lawyers the opportunity to decide who should lead the Bar.

Young lawyers lobby to remove unfair legal clause

Malaysiakini | Section 46A of the Legal Profession Act 1976 bars lawyers with less than seven years’ experience, among others, from being elected as Bar Council members. The KL Bar Committee will launch a campaign to have section 46A dropped. Edmund Bon explained the “Repeal Section 46A” campaign will kick off with a nationwide roadshow on the history of the Malaysian Bar.

KL High Court to hear anti-ISA demo case involving students

Malaysiakini | Seven students arrested for illegal assembly during an anti-ISA demonstration last year will challenge the constitutionality of their charge before the KL High Court next month. The students’ counsel are Edmund Bon, Latheefah Koya, Wan Razali Wan Kadir and Zulkepli Omar.

Appeals court upholds high court ruling six were unlawfully arrested in 2007

The Borneo Post | A three-member Court of Appeal panel unanimously dismissed the police and the government’s appeal to reverse the High Court decision declaring as unlawful the arrest of the six people who took part in the Human Rights Day Walk in Kuala Lumpur in 2007. The six, including Amer Hamzah Arshad, were represented by lawyer Edmund Bon.

Defiant lawyers to march on Sunday

Malaysiakini | The Human Rights Day march was called off but some lawyers will still march to send a message that Malaysians have the right to a peaceful assembly. Edmund Bon said the Bar Council will move its “Festival of Rights” to its own building due to police insistence that a permit be sought for the event at Central Market, which the lawyers cannot do, on a day meant to celebrate freedoms.

When Lawyers Walk

Pusat KOMAS | The Malaysian Bar went on a “Walk of Justice” over the video clip showing a prominent lawyer purportedly brokering the appointment of judges with a senior judge. The march was organised by the then Deputy Chair of the Human Rights Committee of the Malaysian Bar, Amer Hamzah Arshad, and the then Chair of the Human Rights Committee, Edmund Bon Tai Soon, among others.

Walk for Justice: “When lawyers walk, something must be very wrong”

The Malaysian Bar | “Lawyers don’t walk everyday. Not even every month. But when they walk, then something must be very wrong,” said Chairman of the Bar Council Ambiga Sreenevasan when addressing a strong crowd of more than 2,000 members of the Malaysian Bar and some concerned citizens at the Palace of Justice before the commencement of the walk to the Prime Minister’s office to hand over the Bar’s memorandum urging the government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to probe the state of judiciary and memorandum on the establishment of a judicial appointments and promotion commission.

Spotlight: Legal Conscience

Malaysian Bar | The job description today for Edmund Bon, a lawyer dedicated to human rights protection, includes advocating issues, creating awareness, and training students, academicians, government officials and NGOs on the legal aspects of human rights, as well as delivering papers locally and internationally.

Where are the young lawyers?

New Straits Times | Last July, the Legal Profession Act was amended to repeal section 46A, which prohibited lawyers with less than seven years’ standing from running for elections, but young lawyers are not running as candidates for the 2007–2008 Bar Council elections. National Young Lawyers Committee chairman Edmund Bon said it will take time for them to get in the council.

YL Personality: Amer Hamzah bin Arshad

Malaysian Bar | Amer Hamzah Arshad shared about criminal practice, legal aid, human rights, and the Bar Council. He believed in “being for the truth no matter who tells it; being for justice no matter who it is for or against; being a human being first and foremost, and as such he is for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”.

Student seeks to have charge withdrawn

The Star | A student charged with causing the death of a restaurant patron with her dangerous driving is seeking to have the charge withdrawn by the AGC. Counsel Edmund Bon urged the court to postpone the trial pending the outcome of the request.

Irene Fernandez jailed for a year

The Star | A magistrate court found Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez guilty of maliciously publishing false news about eight years ago in a memorandum titled Abuse, Torture, and Dehumanised Treatment of Migrant Workers at Detention Camps. Defence counsel Edmund Bon said an appeal would be filed.

Fernandez allowed to reply from dock

The Star | Counsel Edmund Bon asked the court to allow Fernandez to reply to written submissions of the prosecution from the dock as lead counsel M. Puravalen was in Pakistan on a human rights fact-finding mission and could not submit a reply to the court. Amer Hamsah Arshad also appeared for the defence. 

KL Bar starts off campaign to repeal law

The Star | The KL Bar Committee started the ball rolling for young lawyers of the Malaysian Bar to serve in the Bar Council or any of the state bar committees. KL Bar’s Young Lawyers Committee secretary Edmund Bon said they would forward the nationwide petition, together with a memorandum and a working paper, to the AGC and the government at the end of the one-year campaign. 

Repeal S46A campaign not meant to challenge senior lawyers

Malaysiakini | Amer Hamzah Arshad, a Kuala Lumpur Bar Young Lawyers committee member, said the campaign to repeal section 46A of the Legal Profession Act 1976 is not an attempt by young lawyers to challenge their seniors. The campaign aimed to abolish the inequalities entrenched in the Act and allow lawyers the opportunity to decide who should lead the Bar.

Young lawyers lobby to remove unfair legal clause

Malaysiakini | Section 46A of the Legal Profession Act 1976 bars lawyers with less than seven years’ experience, among others, from being elected as Bar Council members. The KL Bar Committee will launch a campaign to have section 46A dropped. Edmund Bon explained the “Repeal Section 46A” campaign will kick off with a nationwide roadshow on the history of the Malaysian Bar.

KL High Court to hear anti-ISA demo case involving students

Malaysiakini | Seven students arrested for illegal assembly during an anti-ISA demonstration last year will challenge the constitutionality of their charge before the KL High Court next month. The students’ counsel are Edmund Bon, Latheefah Koya, Wan Razali Wan Kadir and Zulkepli Omar.

Appeals court upholds high court ruling six were unlawfully arrested in 2007

The Borneo Post | A three-member Court of Appeal panel unanimously dismissed the police and the government’s appeal to reverse the High Court decision declaring as unlawful the arrest of the six people who took part in the Human Rights Day Walk in Kuala Lumpur in 2007. The six, including Amer Hamzah Arshad, were represented by lawyer Edmund Bon.