Malaysian High Court today granted a stay on deportation order against MA Quayum, a senior BNP leader who has been staying in Malaysia under a Second Home programme and as a UNHCR-registered refugee.
He was arrested in a joint operation between the police and Bangladeshi intelligence on January 12, reported New Straits Times today.
The case was heard before Judge K Muniandy this morning.
Malaysian human rights body Suara Rakyat Malaysia Executive Director Sevan Doraisamy in a statement said the arrest and detention were especially unwarranted, as Quayum was a UNHCR-recognised refugee with an active UNHCR card.
"We demand the Immigration Department to fully comply with this court order and immediately cease any plans to deport Quayum.
"The reprehensible act of defying the temporary court order and forcibly deporting asylum seekers that was cruelly executed three years ago should not be repeated," he said.
He said the government must uphold its commitment to respect and protect refugees fleeing persecution, as well as refrain from forcibly returning them to a country where they might face harm.
Quayum's son Navid Tanvin Ananta said his father is a "victim of political persecution" that began in September 2015 when an Italian national named Cesare Tavella was murdered in Dhaka that year.
He said immediately after the Tavella murder, ISIS claimed responsibility. In mid-2016, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) also found ties to a militant group neo-JMB in these killings.
However, the detective branch has ignored ISIS's claims and Rab's statement and continued the court proceedings against Quayum and his brother, he added.
