Raising fund for a single mother in Terengganu, convicted of offering sex services

Nota: Kenyataan dalam Bahasa Malaysia di bawah.

IMPORTANT: You do not need a PayPal account to make donation. The Paypal account I set up for this accepts credit or debit card. PayPal may ask you for your phone number, and you have to key in your number in a particular format for it to go through. For example, if your number is 012-3456789, you should key in 12-3456789, without area code. All donation will be in US dollar-denomination.

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Update (Oct 2, 2018): Kuala Terengganu Syariah High Court on Tuesday postponed the jail sentence and a whipping against the accused after she filed an application to postpone the sentence by her newly appointed lawyer.

The woman, who was previously unrepresented, has appointed a lawyer, and filed a petition for a postponement on 10am on Tuesday, besides applying for an appeal sentenced by Syarie High Court, Rosdi Harun to him on Thursday last.

The lawyer told a news portal that she was appointed by her client to represent her and also have filed a petition for adjournment at 10am Tuesday.

The lawyer said the decision will only be known on Sunday, and she believed the application will be accepted and the accused, who currently in held in custody can be freed, pending the approval of the appeal.

Update (Sept 28, 2018): The accused has appeal and waiting for the court to accept appeal. If the appeal goes through, there would be a bail. Based on discussion with her lawyer, we are estimating bail cost could reach RM15,000 or higher.

My name is Farah Adilla Radin. I am a 32 year old woman and I am a journalist based in Kuala Lumpur. I am proposing this crowdfunding campaign to help cover the legal cost of a 30-year-old single mother who was arrested offering sex services and was charged under Section 25 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Takzir) Enactment 2001.

This legal cost does not include lawyer's fee because it is pro bono, but may include and not limited to filing fees, appeal fees and other administrative fees. I am also raising funds in case she's given bail. If I can raise more from this campaign, the extra funds will be channelled to her family to help sustain the living of her seven year old child, who's currently being taken care by her sister in Klang, Selangor.

She was arrested by the Terengganu Religious Affairs Department (JHEAT) on Sept 17. When she was arrested, she were not given any opportunity to seek legal service and thus, no opportunity to defend herself legally.

According to news report, the woman only earns RM100 from offering sex service to an unidentified man on that fateful night. Due to her financial woes, the single mother was forced to live such life to sustain life.

On Sept 27, she was sentenced by the Syariah High Court to six months jail and to receive six strokes of rotan under the Syariah law for prostitution.

However, Judge Rosdi Harun instructed that the caning of the 30-year old woman to take place at the prison she was being detained.

The woman was given 14 days to make an appeal after which the caning sentence would be carried out in the prison.

She told the court that she had divorced her husband when her daughter was merely five months old. The accused also explained that she had not been receiving any alimony from her ex-husband.

She works as part time batik canting in Terengganu and is forced to prostitution due to her financial distress.

The Syariah Court does not provide opportunities and access to the woman to obtain any representation and legal advice.

Critics including from the Bar Council had spoken against the use of corporal punishment, describing the practice of caning or whipping as cruel and outdated.

A civil society organisation slammed the caning sentence for the woman, claiming that it goes against normal sentencing guidelines as she is a first-time offender who pleaded guilty and should not have been given the maximum penalty.

Criticising the judgment, the group said whipping did little to educate but only reinforced Islamophobic stereotypes that the religion discriminated against women.

Proponents of the punishment under syariah law, including Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, however, argued that the caning method was only meant to educate the public and not cause injury to the offender.

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Kemaskini (Okt 2, 2018): Mahkamah Syariah Kuala Terengganu pada Selasa menangguh hukuman penjara dan sebat terhadap tertuduh setelah wanita itu memfailkan permohonan untuk menangguhkan hukuman melalui peguam yang baru dilantiknya.

Wanita berkenaan yang sebelum ini tidak diwakili, telah melantik seroang peguam, dan turut memfailkan permohonan penangguhan hukuman pada 10 pagi Selasa, selain memohon rayuan ke atas hukuman yang telah dijatuhkan oleh Hakim Tinggi Syarie, Rosdi Harun terhadapnya.

"Saya telah dilantik oleh anak guam untuk mewakilinya dan telahpun membuat rayuan penangguhan hukuman pada 10 pagi tadi. Keputusan bagaimanapun hanya akan diketahui pada Ahad, dan seperti biasa, yakin permohonan yang dibuat akan diterima dan anak guam saya yang kini dipenjarakan, boleh dibebaskan sementara menunggu keputusan rayuan." kata peguam beliau kepada sebuah portal berita.

Kemaskini (Sept 28, 2018): Tertuduh telah membuat rayuan dan sedang menunggu kelulusan mahkhamah. Jikalau rayuan diluluskan, akan ada ikat jamin. Dari perbincangan dengan peguam beliau, kos ikat jamin dianganggarkan sebanyak RM15,000 atau lebih.

PENTING: Anda tidak memerlukan akaun PayPal untuk membuat sumbangan. Kempen ini telah ditetapkan juga untuk menerima sumbangan daripada debit atau kredit kad. PayPal akan meminta anda mengisi butiran nombor telefon, dan hanya perlu masukkan dalam format berikut. Contohnya, jika nombor telefon anda ialah 012-3456789, hanya perlu memasukkan 12-345678, tanpa kod kawasan. Semua sumbangan akan dibuat di dalam bentuk dollar AS sahaja.

Nama saya Farah Adilla Radin. Saya berumur 32 tahun dan berkerja sebagai seorang wartawan di Kuala Lumpur. Saya memulai misi crowdfunding ini untuk membantu menampung kos undang-undang seorang ibu tunggal yang ditangkap menawarkan perkhidmatan seks dan didakwa di bawah seksyen 25 Enakmen Kesalahan Jenayah Syariah (Takzir) 2001 pada 23 September 2018.

Kos undang-undang ini tidak termasuk kos guaman kerana pro bono, tetapi ianya termasuk dan tidak terhad kepada fi rayuan dan lain-lain kos pentadbiran. Jika kempen ini mampu meraih sumbangan lebih dari yang diperlukan, lebihan sumbangan akan disalurkan kepada tujuan membantu kos menjaga anaknya yang sekarang dijaga oleh kakaknya di Klang, Selangor.

Beliau ditahan oleh Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Terengganu (JHEAT) pada 17 September. Sewaktu beliau ditahan, beliau tidak diberikan sebarang peluang untuk mendapatkan khidmat guaman dan tidak mendapat sebarang peluang untuk membela dan mendapatkan keadilan yang sewajarnya.

Laporan berita melaporkan, wanita tersebut hanya meraih RM100 sahaja. Atas kesempitan hidup dan atas desakan ekonomi, ibu tunggal itu terpaksa menjalani hidup sebegitu bagi menampung kehidupan.

Beliau dijatuhi hukuman enam sebatan dan penjara enam bulan selepas mengaku bersalah atas pertuduhan melakukan persediaan melacurkan diri, di Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah Terengganu.

Hakim Rosdi Harun memerintahkan hukuman sebat itu dilaksanakan di penjara tempat tertuduh ditahan.

Pelaksanaan hukuman sebatan syariah itu dilakukan selepas tempoh 14 hari sekiranya tiada rayuan dilakukan oleh tertuduh.

Tertuduh merupakan seorang ibu tunggal yang mempunyai seorang anak berumur tujuh tahun. Bekas suami dikatakan tidak pernah memberikannya nafkah. Beliau yang bekerja sebagai tukang cop batik terpaksa mengambil langkah tersebut atas desakan ekonomi yang melarat.

Mahkamah Syariah tidak memberikan peluang dan akses bagi wanita tersebut untuk mendapatkan sebarang perwakilan dan nasihat undang-undang. Kepincangan sistem mahkmah syariah ini meletakkan wanita dan golongan terpinggir dalam posisi yang lebih tertindas.

Kritikan termasuk dari Majlis Peguam telah menentang penggunaan hukuman sebatan, menggambarkan amalan tersebut sebagai kejam dan ketinggalan zaman.

Penyokong hukuman di bawah undang-undang syariah, termasuk Menteri Besar Terengganu, Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, bagaimanapun berpendapat bahawa kaedah merotan hanya bertujuan bagi mendidik orang ramai dan tidak menyebabkan kecederaan kepada pesalah.