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.
2012 Bar Council Subscription Click the link above to download Circular 072/2012 pertaining to the 2012 Bar Council subscription, including the payment guide and a set of Frequently-Asked-Questions.
2012 Hotel Corporate Rates Attending seminars? Going for a holiday? Click on the link above to check out the list of hotel corporate rates for Members of the Bar, which is updated regularly.
Bar Council Bookshop Read MORE … but pay LE$$! Members enjoy a 20% discount on LexisNexis publications at the Bar Council Bookshop. Click on the link above for the list of available titles.
International Malaysia Law Conference (26 to 28 Sept 2012) Hurry up! The countdown continues and the current promotion rate ends 30 June 2012. Don't miss what is going to be the best conference in the region! On top of that, if you sign up with 5 or more people from the same organisation, we will give you a 10% group discount. Click on the link above to register.
Talk on Summary Judgement (25 May 2012) Organised by the Selangor Bar Committee, this talk will take place at 5:00 pm, at the Selangor Bar Committee Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). The talk will be conducted by Ramesh Supramanian. Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on Tax Issues in Financial Transactions (25 May 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar, featuring S Saravana Kumar, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Dialogue with Criminal Law Practitioners (26 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council, this dialogue will take place at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, at the Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 26 May 2012 (Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
Conference on Competition Law (31 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council with the support of LexisNexis, this conference will take place at 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, at Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, on 31 May 2012 (Thursday). For more details or to register, please contact Vilashini Vijayan (03-2050 2095; vila@malaysianbar.org.my). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on What Clients Want (7 June 2012) Organised by the KL Bar Practitioners' Affairs Committee, the talk, presented by Ong Eu Jin, will take place at 5:00 pm, at the KL Bar Auditorium, on 7 June 2012 (Thursday). Click on the link above for more details.
4th LAWASIA Family Law Conference, Penang (13 and 14 July 2012) Supported by Penang Bar Committee and the Malaysian Bar, this conference, themed “The New Global Family: Emerging Trends and Challenges to Family Practice”, will take place at Traders Hotel, Penang, on 13 and 14 July 2012 (Friday and Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
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Circular No 109/2012: Be a Part of the Bar Council Constitutional Law Committee
