Cherie warned on Malaysia lecture

BBC, London

Cherie warned on Malaysia lecture
Sunday, 12 June, 2005

Cherie Blair has been asked to reconsider giving a law lecture in Malaysia unless she is prepared to be frank about its human rights record. The call comes from the opposition and civil liberties groups in the country.

The UK prime minister's wife, a leading civil rights lawyer, will also attend a charity event during a private visit to Kuala Lumpur next month.

BBC correspondent Jonathan Kent said Mrs Blair would have to "walk a tightrope" during her address. Campaigners want her to talk about Malaysian human rights issues at the law conference.

But she risks offending the government if she is too critical and dismaying campaigners if she avoids addressing local human rights issues, Mr Kent said.

Security laws

Malaysia has not signed key UN conventions on torture and civil and political liberties and its record has come in for international criticism. Under its internal security laws suspects can be detained indefinitely without trial or charge on the say so of a government minister.

The laws have been used in the past to silence political opposition. There are also questions about the rights of Muslim women, the politicisation of the police and judiciary and its lack of press freedom.

Malaysia's opposition leader Lim Kit Siang told the BBC that as a well known civil liberties lawyer Mrs Blair has to confront such issues. The deputy leader of the country's Conservative Islamic Party, PAS, said it would be inappropriate for her to speak if she planned to avoid them.

Downing Street confirmed that as well as giving a law lecture Mrs Blair will also be attending an event in support of a breast cancer charity.

But a spokeswoman said they do not comment about her work as a lawyer.