KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — The Sabah Law Society (SLS) has yesterday reminded the public and media to observe legal safeguards in the Children’s Court proceedings involving juveniles charged in connection with the Zara Qairina Mahathir case today.
The umbrella body for lawyers in the state acknowledged the strong emotions surrounding the case, saying Malaysians have spoken out and refused to stay silent.
“Sabahans and all fellow Malaysians have risen, spoken out, and refused to stay silent. That fire, that conscience, that unwillingness to look away, is something that commands respect.
“Now let that same strength show itself in discipline, by honouring the dignity of the Court and the rule of law,” its president Datuk Mohamed Nazim Maduarin said in a statement here.
SLS said Section 15 of the Child Act 2001 prohibits the publication or sharing of any information that may lead to the identification of a child involved in such proceedings.
This includes names, photographs, addresses, schools, or any other particulars that could reveal their identity, SLS said.
“We gently remind the public that even well-intentioned actions can inadvertently breach the law,” it added.
It said Section 15 of the Child Act 2001 requires proceedings involving children to be conducted in camera to ensure justice is carried out according to the law.
SLS stressed that respecting court processes is necessary to ensure proceedings are not jeopardised and justice is delivered properly, fairly, and beyond challenge.
Five teenage girls are scheduled to be charged in the Children’s Court in Kota Kinabalu this morning in connection with the bullying case of student Zara Qairina.
