This week, Malaysians who have been following the case of Azizul Raheem Awaluddin and Shalwati Norshal, detained in Sweden for abusing their children, got the shock of their lives.
After two months of being held under remand, the prosecutor has finally charged them in court, and the list of what they have been accused of is a long one.
Both of them are accused of a total of eight counts of gross violation of integrity of their children, and all includes beatings, inclusive of the use of rotan, belt and even a carpet beater.
The shock is because everyone in Malaysia were of the thought that it was an obvious case of a clash of cultures.
In Malaysia, moderate corporal punishment is mainly accepted. Initial reports in the media (including here at Astro AWANI) stated or implied that the abuse was merely a smack due to one of their sons not performing his prayers.
People were so vocal about demanding their release by the Swedish authorities, and many were outraged that their children were taken away from them and placed in a Swedish foster home.
When Deputy Foreign Minister, Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin, succeeded in getting the children under the care of a Malaysian family, and eventually bringing them home, the whole of Malaysia cheered. I'm quite sure that nationalism also played a big part in people's faith in them and the support they received from home - they're Malaysians, let's rally behind them!
But, as I had previously mentioned, the tune of many Malaysians have changed to a different rhythm now that an official charge list has been issued in court.
Now, people are so angry of the fact that the couple could actually turn out to be parents who did, in fact, physically abuse their children, although they are innocent until proven guilty.
Yes, Astro AWANI has, through comprehensive research, uncovered legit cases where children in Sweden have been wrongfully seperated from their parents. And yes, we have also discovered true reports presented by human rights lawyers to the European Parliament about how rampant these cases are in Sweden and other Nordic countries.
However, seeing an actual court document listing the actual charges is still overwhelming. I, for one, am shocked myself to read it. When I met the couple's four children at the Malaysian embassy in Stockholm, I sympathised with them and felt sorry that they had been seperated from their parents.
I somehow became a little too attached to them that when I initially read the charge list issued by the Solna District Court, I felt guilty in wanting to report the actual details to the public.
But I understood that I had to be objective in this matter. The trial will go on and the prosecutor and the defence counsels will go all out to prove their cases. The media will continue to report the proceedings since it has already become a matter of public interest, not just in Malaysia, but also in Sweden itself.
The media will also attempt to put things into more context, such as looking at past cases and, yes, even looking at the history of the abuse of the social welfare system in Sweden.
But, I believe that remaining objective about the case has to be a priority. Don't be too quick to judge, whether to support the couple or to condemn them, before knowing the entire true story.
At the end of the day, Malaysians or not, justice has to prevail.
And us, being the court of public opinion, really do not have the credibility to do anything but observe and have our own personal opinions.
Zan Azlee
Wed Feb 12 2014
AWANI Ringkas: Polis sahkan Chegu Bard direman dua hari
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
AWANI 7:45 [28/04/2024] – Malaysia tumpu pelaburan baharu | Pertumbuhan saksama dan inklusif | Kajian pertubuhan buruh antarabangsa | Tabung Haji teruskan bantuan
Laporan berita padat dan ringkas #AWANI745 bersama Dzulfitri Yusof
Tumpuan #AWANI745 malam ini:
- Malaysia hadapi cabaran baharu dari negara maju, bidang teknologi, tegas PM
- Ekonomi dunia kian tidak seimbang, Tengku Zafrul di pentas forum desak negara maju lebih adil dan saksama
- 70 peratus pekerja dunia terdedah kepada penyakit akibat perubahan iklim
- Tabung Haji tanggung kos lebih RM350 juta tahun ini
Tumpuan #AWANI745 malam ini:
- Malaysia hadapi cabaran baharu dari negara maju, bidang teknologi, tegas PM
- Ekonomi dunia kian tidak seimbang, Tengku Zafrul di pentas forum desak negara maju lebih adil dan saksama
- 70 peratus pekerja dunia terdedah kepada penyakit akibat perubahan iklim
- Tabung Haji tanggung kos lebih RM350 juta tahun ini
Liek Hou rangkul dua lagi emas di Sepanyol
Jaguh badminton para negara Cheah Liek Hou terus cemerlang apabila menggondol dua pingat emas pada Kejohanan Badminton Para Sepanyol Antarabangsa II 2024 pada Sabtu.
Negara maju harus tundukkan 'ego' dan bekerjasama dengan ASEAN - Penganalisis
Menurut Faisal, ini kerana negara membangun di ASEAN sedang mencorak ekonomi ke arah lebih mampan yang perlu dimanfaatkan negara maju
Rakyat Malaysia di Jordan jadi duta produk PMKS negara - Ewon
Datuk Ewon Benedick menyarankan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di Jordan supaya memainkan peranan sebagai "duta" untuk mempromosikan produk PMKS dan koperasi negara.
Fokus Minggu Depan: Solidariti Gaza Merentasi Bangsa dan Agama
Break The Siege: Fokus Minggu Depan membincangkan topik Solidariti Gaza Merentasi Bangsa dan Agama susulan penangguhan misi penghantaran bantuan ke Gaza anjuran Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC).
Lelaki rugi lebih RM13,000 terperdaya tawaran kerja dalam talian
Seorang lelaki berputih mata apabila wangnya berjumlah RM13,460 lesap setelah menjadi mangsa penipuan tawaran kerja.
Misi ditangguh, delegasi Malaysia berlepas pulang
Delegasi Malaysia dalam misi Break The Siege Freedom Flotilla To Gaza akan berlepas pulang malam ini.
Keputusan dicapai selepas Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) tidak dapat meneruskan misi selepas Republik Guinea-Bissau menarik balik kebenaran menggunakan bendera untuk dua kapal yang digunakan.
Laporan lanjut bersama Syaff Shukri di Istanbul.
Keputusan dicapai selepas Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) tidak dapat meneruskan misi selepas Republik Guinea-Bissau menarik balik kebenaran menggunakan bendera untuk dua kapal yang digunakan.
Laporan lanjut bersama Syaff Shukri di Istanbul.
Ustaz Wan sanggup bina tempat main boling DIY di sekolah kampung
Ustaz Wan mempunyai minat yang sangat tinggi terhadap sukan boling dan berhasrat untuk turut mengasah bakat anak muridnya.
Karnival Malaysia di New Delhi tarik 2,000 pengunjung
Pengunjung diraikan dengan persembahan kebudayaan, makanan, demonstrasi masakan, mencanting batik dan peluang merasai buah-buahan tropika Malaysia.
Sambutan Aidiladha keluarga Azizul, Shalwati lebih bermakna
Sambutan Hari Raya Aidiladha bagi pasangan Azizul Raheem Awaluddin dan Shalwati Norshal yang baru dibebaskan pada 2 Oktober lebih bermakna.
Kes Sweden: Azizul kurus selepas keluar penjara, kata adik ipar
Azizul dan keluarga terdekat di Sweden akan melawat isterinya, Shalwati Norshal di Mahkamah Daerah Solna di Stockholm hari ini namun, hanya Azizul dibenarkan menemui isternya.
Jika dilihat kes Sweden, hukuman dera kanak-kanak di M'sia membimbangkan - SUHAKAM
SUHAKAM berharap agar kerajaan mengkaji semula peruntukan undang-undang di bawah Akta Kanak-Kanak 2001 dan Prosedur Jenayah.
Shalwati & Azizul: Keputusan pada 28 Mac
Shalwati Nor Shal dan Azizul Raheem Awaluddin terus ditahan sehingga keputusan dibaca pada 28 Mac nanti. Walaupun begitu, beberapa sekatan sepanjang penahan itu ditarik balik oleh Ketua Hakim.
Ammar dan Adam sedih dipukul ibubapa, kata guru
Lima guru dari Sekolah Antarabangsa Stockholm menjadi saksi dalam perbicaraan pasangan Malaysia yang ditahan di Sweden kerana memukul anak mereka.
JKM hantar empat laporan ke Sweden
Empat laporan mengenai perkembangan anak-anak pasangan yang ditahan di Sweden telah dihantar oleh Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat kepada Jabatan Perkhidmatan Sosial Sweden.
Shalwati mengaku memukul Ammar sekali di Sweden
Ammar pernah dipukul Shalwati hanya sekali di bahu ketika berada di Sweden.
Azizul dan Shalwati dijangka beri keterangan minggu depan
Mahkamah di Sweden yang membicarakan pasangan itu dijangka selesai mendengar keterangan daripada empat anak mereka hari ini.
Azizul dan Shalwati tidak bersalah sehingga dibuktikan sebaliknya - Nazri
Kementerian Pelancongan dan Kebudayaan akan menunggu keputusan perbicaraan sebelum membuat sebarang keputusan untuk mengarahkannya kembali ke Malaysia atau sebaliknya.
Kes pukul anak di Sweden: Ammar mulakan rindu ibu bapanya
Hari ketiga perbicaraan Ammar Azizul kerap bertanyakan kepada pegawai penyiasat akan bilakah ibu bapanya akan dibebaskan.