Enforcement authorities obstructed the public’s freedom of expression and assembly during the #Lawan protest on July 31 in Kuala Lumpur, civil societies say.
At the launch of a monitoring report, Justice for Sisters’ representative Thilaga Sulathireh said a number of roadblocks and the closure of Dataran Merdeka posed a direct barrier to access the protest gathering spot.
Thilaga said this was a clear violation of the peoples’ right to freedom of movement, expression and assembly. Dataran Merdeka, she said, was a public space that could accommodate over 20,000 people and would have been a safe spot for effective observance of Covid-19 risk management measures.
She added that the police had also obstructed protestors by ordering them to inch closer to the pavement, apparently to allow traffic flow, but this made the protesters unable to maintain physical distance.
“Intimidation and heavy surveillance during the protest were also found as police, including those in plainclothes, took close-up pictures or videos of protestors. The police were heavily armed with tasers, handguns and MP5s.
“There was also deployment of surveillance tools such as drones and a helicopter at the protest. All of these were not necessary for a peaceful protest,” she said.
Thilaga said media personnel also had difficulty in complying with the #Lawan marshals’ instructions to observe SOPs for safe distancing as they had to crowd around to take photos of the event.
She noted that there were good practices drawn up by the organisers of the protest as they were prepared for possible intimidation and arrest by the police. They had also reached out to the Bar Council, Suhakam and other civil society organisations and had an on-site medical team and an ambulance during the protest.
In view of this, Bryan Yap from Amnesty International Malaysia, who was at the press conference, said police should recognise their positive duty and engage constructively with protest organisers, medical teams, media and others to help facilitate and ensure a safe and enabling environment for the exercise of the freedom of assembly and expression.
Yap also recommended that all harassment, investigations and charges against the organisers, protesters, Bar Council, observers, Suhakam commissioners and others should be dropped with immediate effect.
He also said policies and SOPs, in compliance with international standards, should be developed in order to protect, promote and realise the right to peaceful assembly.
“Lastly, legislative reform has to be initiated to bring the legal framework in line with Malaysia’s international human rights obligations, including the repeal of the Sedition Act 1948 and amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act and the Peaceful Assembly Act,” he said.
This report is an initiative of civil society organisations which include the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), KRYSS Network, the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (MCCHR), Amnesty International Malaysia, Justice for Sisters, Freedom Film Network, Sisters in Islam, and Sinar Project.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
