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URGENT APPEAL UPDATE: 7 MAY 2009

5 Legal Aid Lawyers and One Reporter Arrested in IPD Brickfields

The authority not only continue their intolerance towards peaceful assembly, they further deny detainees’ right to legal representation by arresting 5 Malaysian Bar Council Legal Aid lawyers who presented themselves at the IPD Brickfield to represent the 14 individuals arrested earlier tonight.

At about 11.45pm when police started the second wave of arrests, the 5 lawyers and Suara Keadilan Chinese version editor Law Teck Hao, were arrested in front of IPD Brickfield police station.

The arrested lawyers are:

1. Fadiah Nadwa Fikri
2. Ravinder Singh
3. Shuhaini Safwan
4. Murni Hidayah
5. Puspawati Rosman

All persons detained, 14 individuals arrested earlier and the above 5 lawyers are being detained in Brickfields district police station.

Arrest during vigil at Penang

According to the Investigation Officer (IO) in Timur Laut district police station (Penang), who refused to identify himself, the police will not release Ng Eng Kiat tonight. Ng was investigated under section 141 of Penal code and section 4 of Sedition Act.

Arrest during vigil at Sarawak

We noted that among the 11 individuals arrested tonight in Kuching, Sarawak, is Padungan State Assemblyperson Dominique Ng. They were holding a candle light vigil for democracy in Perak.

Background

Wong Chin Huat, an academic and activist of polls reform group, the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (BERSIH), was arrested by police yesterday (5 May 2009), under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act. Wong is believed to have been arrested in connection to a press conference held in the morning of 5 May 2009, where he urged all Malaysians to wear black in protest of the Barisan Nasional’s takeover of Perak state government from Pakatan Rakyat, a move seen by many as unconstitutional. He has been remanded for three days until 8 May 2009.

On 6 May 09, 14 individuals were also arrested during a candlelight vigil outside Brickfields district police station. They were gathering to show support to Wong Chin Huat who was arrested under Sedition Act. They were released some hours later after their particulars were taken by the police.

On 7 May 09, for the second continuous night, candlelight vigil was organized by civil citizens at the Brickfields police to show support for Wong Chin Huat. At the same time, SUARAM Penang too organised "Democracy first candle light vigil" in Penang.

We strongly urge the police to release all individuals arrested immediately and unconditionally. We also demand that police stop harassing the Malaysian people from excising their rights to assembly and stop the assault on freedom of expression.

Released By,

Moon Hui
SUARAM Coordinator


Urgent action needed:

Please write protest letters to the government and the police to express your strongest condemnation of the arrests and the ongoing denial of rights of expression. Please also demand the Malaysian government for the immediate and unconditional release of all activists.

Your protest letters should be sent to:

1. OCPD ACP Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Talib

IPD Brickfields
Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Brickfields
Polis Diraja Malaysia
Jalan Tun Sambanthan
50470 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-22740222
Fax: 03-22730885

2. OCPD ACP Azam Abdul Hamid (012-6802000)

IPD Timur Laut
Ibu pejabat Polis Daerah Timur Laut,
Polis Diraja Malaysia,
10760 Jln Penang,Timur Laut,
Pulau Pinang.
Tel: 04-2181822
Fax: 04-2286503

3. OCPD IPD Kuching

IPD Kuching
Ibupejabat Polis Daerah Kuching
Polis Diraja Malaysia
Jalan Simpang Tiga, 93300 Kuching, Sarawak.
Tel: 082-241133
Fax: 082-248135

4. Inspector-General of Police

Tan Sri Musa Hassan
Ibu Pejabat Polis Diraja Malaysia ,
50560 Bukit Aman,
Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia .
Tel: +603 2262 6015
Fax: +603 2272 5613

5. Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak,

Prime Minister of Malaysia,
Prime Minister's Office,
Main Block, Perdana Putra Building ,
Federal Government Administrative Centre,
62502 Putrajaya , MALAYSIA
Tel : 603-8888 8000
Fax : 603-8888 3444
E-Mail: ppm@pmo.gov. my

SAMPLE LETTER

[Letterhead of your organization]

Prime Minister,

Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak,

Prime Minister's Office,
Main Block, Perdana Putra Building ,
Federal Government Administrative Centre,
62502 Putrajaya , MALAYSIA
Tel : 603-8888 8000
Fax : 603-8888 3444

E-Mail: ppm@pmo.gov. my

Dear Sir,

Re: Release those 31 Individuals Arrested during a Vigil

We are writing to you, once again, to express our outrage and our strongest condemnation over your government’s ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression.

We are appalled by your government and the police’s latest actions and view this as yet another attempt by your government to intimidate Malaysian citizens from exercising their freedom to express their views.

We demand that the 31 individuals should be released immediately and unconditionally. We further demand that your government stops the assault on freedom of expression.

We strongly urge you, once again, to stop bringing shame to Malaysia, a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council. We would like to remind you that freedom of expression and assembly is guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the Federal Constitution of Malaysia.

Yours sincerely,

[Name]