<B>Our Rights

Enough is enough. On Sunday 10th August 2008, it will be exactly one month since Abdool Satar Hamuth is being (?)detained and his family has not seen him at all. He is being denied his right to bail and his right to have access to private medical care of his choice.

Mr Hamuth has not been tried or convicted and he is presumed innocent. He is a citizen of Mauritius and enjoys the same constitutional rights as any other citizen. He is not a healthy person and was under medical treatment which has been stopped since 10th July and he has missed his doctors' appointments since then. His continued (?) detention has caused his health to aggravate.

He was taken to hospital three times but he is not satisfied with the treatment received, the more so that he is always conveyed there like a criminal, which is inhuman and degrading. He has asked to be seen by his treating doctors who have been following his treatment.

As law abiding citizens, we followed procedures and asked for permission from various authorities: The Court, the DPP, the Attorney General, the Commissioner of Police, the ACP responsible for Moka area, The Human Rights Commission, the Prime Minister's Office. Our request was turned down, and Mr Hamuth has been denied his right. Still, we waited patiently hoping that the authorities would grant him his right. But nothing happened. In matters concerning health of a person, it is understood that any delay may be fatal, and we cannot understand why they are playing with his live.

Today we learn that Cindy Legallant, a suspect who has been arrested in a drug case has been admitted to a clinic! How come she is given VIP treatment and she did not even have to fight for weeks to get this permission, whereas we have been struggling vainly to get the same treatment. It is therefore clear that there is indeed a ?justice a deux vitesses? in Mauritius, and the law does not apply equally to each and everyone. What should Abdool Satar Hamuth do to have his rights respected...

<B>Voice of Hamuth</B>