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Just doing our job, says police chief
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CPO: We used minimal force to disperse the crowd
Freedom of assembly and freedom of expression were again dealt a severe blow
yesterday with the arrests of 23 citizens – including journalists and activists,
a Member of Parliament, State Assemblypersons and a City Councillor – who were
participants in a peaceful gathering to commemorate the first anniversary of
last year's BERSIH rally.
The Bar Council is alarmed at the disproportionate and heavy–handed approach
adopted by the police, who purportedly began dispersing people as early as an
hour before the start of the vigil. Needless physical force was allegedly used
during the arrests, causing injuries to a number of participants. Such
unprovoked intimidation and oppression is unjustifiable as the group was
reportedly calm, did not pose any threat to public order and was merely
exercising its democratic rights.
While the Bar Council disagrees with the laws curtailing the right to assemble
and express dissent, we are concerned that the authorities seem to use these
laws selectively to disperse and arrest demonstrators. Several demonstrations
against the Pakatan Rakyat government's policies in Penang and Selangor have
proceeded without much harassment nor arrests by the police.
This gives rise to the perception that police actions are not based on any
objective criteria relating to preservation of public order. Such subjectivity
breeds the notion that the authorities act in a biased, or even arbitrary,
manner.
We call on the police to protect the rights of speech, expression and assembly
of all those who legitimately engage in expressing dissent, fairly and without
bias.
Ragunath Kesavan
Vice–President
Malaysian Bar
10 November 2008