Haris’s remains will be brought to the At Taqwa mosque in Taman Tun Dr Ismail after asar prayers (4.42pm) and he will be laid to rest at the Bukit Kiara Muslim cemetery.
Among those at the forefront of calls for a just and equal society, he told Malaysiakini in May that “Haris is always going to be the people’s watchdog”.
Haris, who was the founder of the “Asalkan Bukan Umno” (Anything But Umno) movement, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in April last year.
Despite his illness, he returned to legal practice two months later.
As a lawyer, Haris was involved in many cases that dealt with freedom of religion and the jurisdiction of the civil and syariah courts.
His partner at Haris Ibrahim Kandiah Partnership, Ashok Kandiah, described Haris as “the definition of a towering Malaysian”.
“I’ll put it this way. Few have given up life’s comforts for the betterment of the country like Haris has,” he said.
“He was a great lawyer and was doing very well before giving up his legal practice so that we could have a better Malaysia – before then returning to practice.”
Haris was in a jovial mood when he made an appearance at the Malaysian Bar’s “Walk for Judicial Independence” in Kuala Lumpur last June.
He arrived at Padang Merbok in a wheelchair to the surprise of many, with numerous people seen gathering around him and offering their well wishes.
He told reporters later he felt it was important for him to attend the event, adding that it was the “duty” of the lawyers to march for judicial independence.
“It is important to stand up and defend the judiciary, the third pillar of democracy. That is why I am here to support my brothers and sisters.”
In 2019, the Court of Appeal acquitted Haris of a sedition charge after he called for a change of government during a public forum in Kuala Lumpur on May 13, 2013.
Amnesty International condemned Haris’s eight-month jail term by the Kuala Lumpur sessions court in 2016, which was later stayed pending appeal.
In a statement, the global human rights advocacy group said it would consider Haris a “prisoner of conscience” if he were to be imprisoned.