This is something I started in response to the detention of Maria Chin Abdullah, Chairperson of Bersih 2.0. Bersih is a movement for free and fair elections in Malaysia. Maria was arrested on 18 Nov 2016 under SOSMA (Security Offenses Special Measures Act 2012), a cruel and draconian law that allows for detention without trial. She is being held in an undisclosed location, in a 15 x 8ft windowless cell, in solitary confinement.
I am posting these to my Facebook page, but I will archive them here too, to be accessible across platforms.
#4) 26 Nov 2016 – Day 8 in detention
THE BOX: SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IS TORTURE / KURUNGAN SEORANG DIRI = SEKSAAN
“I was not physically tortured, but solitary confinement is a psychological kind of torture that doesn’t leave any marks. You get out; people see you’ve survived. Sure, you’re thinner, but otherwise you look OK. But the mental scars are so deep. People who had spent time in solitary were really the only people who could understand what I’d experienced.”
– Sarah Shourd, 37, author and prison rights advocate, spent 410 days in solitary in Iran from 2009 – 2010
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“Badan saya tidak diseksa, tapi kurungan solitari sejenis penyeksaan psikologi yang tidak meninggalkan tanda. Kau keluar; orang lain lihat kau hidup. Memang kau sudah kurus, selain itu kau nampak OK. Tapi kesan mentalnya begitu dalam. Apa yang saya alami hanya boleh difahami oleh mereka yang pernah habiskan masa dalam solitari.”
– Sarah Shourd, 37, penulis dan aktivis hak tahanan – 410 hari dalam kurungan solitari di Iran dari 2009 – 2010
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CHALLENGE
You are welcome to take part in One Artwork A Day Until Maria is Released challenge. Drawings, songs, poems, fiction, concept art, performance, photos, anything.
\\ Sekiranya mau terima cabaran Satu Karya Setiap Hari Sehingga Maria Bebas, silakan. Lukisan, lagu, puisi, cerpen, konsep, persembahan, foto, apa saja.
Hashtag #bebasMaria #MansuhSOSMA #Art4Maria