The first day of the trial of Malaysian couple, Azizul Raheem Awaluddin and Shalwati Nor Shal, accused of abusing their four children ended in an emotional note.
Not only did the day began with Shalwati getting choked up seeing her husband Azizul for the first time since being detained in December 2013, she also teared up hearing her lawyer, Kristofer Stahre, read an apology note from her eldest son, Ammar, 12 years old.
The note read:
Mummy, I’m sorry. It was my anger that started this. I will always love you and nothing will change that. Love, Ammar. PS: I will always love you.
The note, which was left out by the prosecutor, Anna Arnell, in her collection of evidence, was asked to be included by Stahre because it showed that Ammar was driven by exaggerated emotions when he told people that he was abused by his mother.
Azizul, who remained composed the first half of the day, eventually had to force himself to look down and away when the prosecutor presented the video testimony of their youngest son, Arif, who is 7 years old.
The videos were shot on three different occasions when an investigating officer, assisted by an English interpreter, interviewed Arif about the different times his parents allegedly abused him. The videos were strikingly uncomfortable to watch due to the confused look of Arif almost throughout all the videos when he was being questioned.
Although he mentioned several occasions of being hit by a cane, hanger and open hand by his mother because he didn’t want to read the Quran, and pinching by his father for not wanting to pray, a majority of his answers to the officer’s questions were, “I don’t know” and “I forgot”.
According to Stahre, the method of questioning by the investigating officer was unprofessional and if it were done in court in front of a judge, it would almost definitely be disallowed. The insistent and repetitive questioning also showed desperation in getting desired answers.
The second day of trial will most probably see the continuation of video testimonies of the couple’s other three children, Aishah, 14, Ammar, 12, and Adam, 11. All four children are now back in Malaysia under the care of an aunty in Kelantan. They were brought home by Deputy Foreign Minister, Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin last month.
The trial is expected to take ten days and the last day will be on March 10, 2014. Both Azizul and Shalwati have pleaded not guilty to all the charges and have been detained since December 18, 2013.
Zan Azlee
Wed Feb 19 2014
Penunjuk perasaan pro-Palestin di Paris kepung universiti
Penunjuk perasaan pro-Palestin mengepung bangunan dan kawasan hadpaan Universiti Sciences Po yang berprestij di Paris pada Jumaat.
Piala Thomas: Zii Jia pamer magis tarik perhatian ramai di Chengdu
Zii Jia merekodkan kemenangan ke atas Lee Cheuk Yiu dalam aksi yang mengambil masa 45 minit menghadirkan saat-saat terbaik dalam saingan pembukaan ini.
Youth All Girls raih gangsa di Amerika Syarikat
Pasukan sorak Malaysia Youth All Girls raih gangsa di The 2024 International Cheer Union World Cheerleading Championships (ICU JWCC) di Florida, Amerika Syarikat pada Khamis.
Perkembangan proses penamaan calon PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu
Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) membuka tirai hari ini dengan bermulanya proses penamaan calon pagi tadi di Dewan Serbaguna Dan Kompleks Sukan Daerah Hulu Selangor.
Firdaus Azil ada perincian untuk dikongsikan jam ini.
Firdaus Azil ada perincian untuk dikongsikan jam ini.
Malaysia-China bincang perkukuhkan kerjasama sektor pendidikan
Malaysia dan China membincangkan inisiatif strategik bagi memperluas serta memperkukuh jalinan kerjasama sektor pendidikan tinggi antara Kuala Lumpur-Beijing sempena sambutan ulang tahun ke-50 hubungan diplomatik Malaysia-China.
Perdana Menteri ke Riyadh sempena mesyuarat khas Forum Ekonomi Sedunia
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim akan mengadakan lawatan kerja ke Riyadh, Arab Saudi sempena mesyuarat khas forum sedunia World Economic Forum (WEF) bermula 27 hingga 29 April ini.
Kerajaan Persekutuan kaji cadangan wujud hospital di Pengerang - Azalina
Hospital tersebut akan memudahkan penduduk mendapatkan rawatan memandangkan Pengerang semakin pesat membangun.
AWANI Ringkas: Reformasi gaji di Malaysia
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Piala Thomas: Lee Zii Jia beri mata pertama buat Malaysia!
Kemenangan straight set benarkan Malaysia raih mata pertama dalam aksi peringkat kumpulan saingan Piala Thomas berdepan Hong Kong.
AWANI Pagi: Filem Oppa semai mesej PDRM banteras jenayah scam
Ikuti diskusi bersama Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Komersial (JSJK) Bukit Aman, Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf akan berkongsi mesej disemai PDRM dalam membanteras jenayah scam yang berleluasa ketika ini.
Anak pasangan M'sia ditahan di Sweden ikuti kelas intensif Bahasa Melayu
Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM) telah menghantar dua lagi laporan berkala kepada Wisma Putra mengenai keadaan empat beradik itu, Jumaat lepas.
Kerajaan usaha dapatkan imuniti pegawai pelancongan di Sweden
Timbalan Menteri Luar Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin bagaimanapun berkata kerajaan akan sentiasa memastikan langkah dibuat mengikut perundangan negara berkenaan.
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: Anak kenalpasti 'kayu yang berikat' sebagai objek memukulnya
Pendakwa raya telah menayangkan video temubual bersama anak bongsu pasangan tersebut yang berumur tujuh tahun, Arif.
Tourism Malaysia lantik peguam pemerhati perbicaraan kes Azizul dan Shalwati
Ketua Pengarah Tourism Malaysia Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab kini berada di Stockholm untuk memerhati perbicaraan kes Azizul dan Shalwati.
Tuduhan dera: Peguam Shalwati mahu buktikan wujud keraguan munasabah
Peguam Shalwati bersedia membuktikan bahawa wujudnya keraguan munasabah di atas kes yang dibentangkan pendakwaraya.
Empat anak pasangan Malaysia ditahan di Sweden terima berita dengan hati terbuka
Anak ketiga Azizul Raheem Awaluddin dan Norshalwati Norshal akui sedih menerima berita bahawa ibu bapa beliau akan didakwa di Mahkamah Deaerah Stolkholm.
Keluarga rakyat Malaysia yang ditahan di Sweden redha dengan pendakwaan
Perbicaraan kes pasangan itu ditetapkan bermula pada 18 Februari ini dan dijangka mengambil masa 10 hari.
Empat anak pasangan Malaysia ditahan di Sweden mohon tidak diganggu
Kempat-empat anak pasangan tersebut dikatakan sedih dengan berita berkenaan dan tidak ke sekolah pada Selasa.
Pasangan Malaysia di Sweden didakwa pukul anak sejak 2010
Azizul Raheem Awaluddin dan Shalwati Norshal didakwa memukul dan mendera keempat-empat anak mereka dalam beberapa insiden sejak September 2010 sehingga Disember tahun lalu.