Review case of disabled man jailed for attempted suicide, urges Hakam

PETALING JAYA: The National Human Rights Society (Hakam) has urged the Attorney General's Chambers to review the case of a disabled man who was jailed for attempted suicide.

Its secretary-general Lim Wei Jiet said the Kuala Terengganu Magistrate Court’s recent conviction and sentencing of the man to a seven months' jail term should not have been instituted in the first place.

"There is a serious lack of compassion and humanity in the criminal justice system if a disabled man who has reached such a desperate position in life is punished even further with a jail term.

"Such charges under Section 309 of the Penal Code should never have been instituted in the first place.

"The law should not only be concerned with penalties but must be tampered with mercy and kindness," he said in a statement on Monday (Feb 3).

Hakam also called on the Government to consider repealing the offence of attempt to commit suicide under Section 309 of the Penal Code.

"Other Commonwealth countries such as the UK, India and Singapore have already done the same.

"Malaysia is one of the only few countries which still keeps this archaic law in our statute books," said Lim.

News portal Malaysiakini reported that a Magistrate's Court in Terengganu on Sunday (Feb 2) sentenced a disabled man who tried to kill himself to six months in prison.

Magistrate Nordiana Abd Aziz handed the sentence to Mohamad Sani Isa, who pleaded guilty under Section 309 of the Penal Code.

The 38-year-old man was not represented by a lawyer.

He was charged with trying to hang himself from a ceiling at a house in Kuala Nerus on Dec 23 last year.