MALAYSIA – Prisoner denied access to proper medical care

 

UA-08-2001: Permit Anwar Ibrahim to undergo surgery in Germany

MALAYSIA – Prisoner denied access to proper medical care

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Anwar Ibrahim has been languishing in the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL)

inflicted with a serious spine ailment since November 2000. Anwar is unable to move and constantly on painkillers to alleviate his suffering. He is seeking proper medical treatment but Malaysian authorities are denying him this demand.

The government allowed a foreign spine specialist, Dr. Thomas Hoogland from the Alpha Clinic in Munich, Germany to treat Anwar. Dr. Hoogland, assisted by a panel of ten experts from the HKL, have unanimously agreed on the following;

1. Anwar Ibrahim should undergo endoscopic spinal surgery within 4-6 weeks, and the procedure would have the lowest risks and best prognosis if performed at the Alpha Clinic in Munich.

2. HKL’s facilities are not able to guarantee a successful operation.

However, the Malaysian government disputes this diagnosis and says that this operation can be done locally in the HKL.

Access to the best medical care and treatment available is not a privilege but a basic human right. Even prisoners cannot be denied that right.

The Malaysian government has no valid reason not to grant this request. That Anwar is a prisoner is no reason the government should deprive him of the best available medical treatment. Any delay in granting permission for Anwar to undergo the recommended treatment overseas may aggravate his condition and lead to his paralysis.

Asian Human Rights Commission strongly urges the Malaysian Government to permit Anwar to undergo surgery in Germany, as there is reason to believe Anwar’s condition is related to the torture he received at the hands of the Malaysian police.
BACKGROUND

On September 2, 1998, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed dismissed Deputy Prime Minister, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim and he was arrested on September 20, 1998. He has been kept as a political prisoner for over 900 days so far.

At the time of his arrest, Anwar was beaten to the point of near-death and left unconscious while under detention, with no medical treatment until he was discovered the next day, which resulted in his present medical ailment. Therefore, The Malaysian government must see that Anwar’s current medical problem could be blamed on the government.

Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that:

\”Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.\”

It is an internationally accepted fact and practice that a prisoner does not lose their right to proper medical treatment just because they are a prisoner.
SUGGESTED ACTION

Please write to the Prime Minister, with copies to the Chief Justice and the Head of the National Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, reminding them that access to the best medical care and treatment is a basic human right for all, including prisoners, and call on the Malaysian government to permit Anwar to undergo surgery in Germany
 

 

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