KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 28 -- Lawyer for Liberty (LFL) today urged the government to protect human rights champions in the country, after what it termed as a troubling court ruling against Muslim NGO, Sisters in Islam (SIS), yesterday.

In a statement, LFL's legal coordinator Zaid Malek said that SIS plays a crucial role in the promotion and protection of human rights for all, and it is up to any religious authorities to declare the body as a deviant group.

Zaid also cautioned that doing so, would then open the floodgates for further action to be taken against SIS, either by the state or even by "misguided non-state actors".

"We therefore call on the authorities to protect all human rights defenders and organisations which is crucial in ensu...