Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno with her son (R) Muhammad Azfar, 7, and daughter Wann Kaitlynn Sari Dewi, 5.

PETALING JAYA (Aug 21, 2009): The whipping sentence on a woman by the Kuantan Syariah Court for illegally drinking beer in public is disproportionate to the magnitude of the crime committed and raises legal issues, the Women Candidacy Initiative (WCI) said today.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor, a part-time model who lives in Sungai Siput, Perak, was sentenced to the maximum punishment of a RM5,000 fine and six lashes of the rotan on July 20. She had pleaded guilty to committing the offence at the Cherating Bay Lounge, Hotel Legend, Cherating at 11.40pm on July 11.

WCI's statement today brought into question the legality of Kartika’s rotan sentence, since Kajang Prison is bound by Federal Law which expressedly disallows the whipping of women.

Claiming that "whipping has failed as a retributory and deterrent sentence", the WCI called for Malaysia to subscribe to Article 5 of the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights against torture and degrading treatment.

Kartika is a first-time offender, did not cause harm to others, and has conveyed remorse for her actions, said the WCI, calling for Pakatan Pakyat coalition parties to support human rights by repealing such severe forms of punishment.