The Centre of Independent Journalism (CIJ) has called on the government to immediately withdraw all movement control order (MCO) related charges and halt all future arrests.
In making the call, CIJ executive director Wathshlah G Naidu cited Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s statement earlier today that 6,048 individuals have been arrested for breaching the MCO since its enforcement on March 18 up until yesterday.
“These arrests place the individuals remanded at a heightened risk – as recently admitted by the Prisons Department themselves – as they may not be able to practice the necessary social distancing in the course of their confinement,” she said in a statement.
Citing reported cases of alleged police abuse during the MCO, CIJ noted that unchecked police powers are likely to cause unnecessary panic and fear of public authorities.
“Besides that, the arrests are counterproductive and a waste of public resources.
“Education is key in addressing misinformation surrounding Covid-19, not prosecution through arrests and online crackdowns,” she said.
“The law enforcement authorities must act with due diligence and not spiral into the realm of unchecked impunity,” she further stressed.
At the same time, the CIJ also welcomed Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat’s call for lower court judges to consider the risk of Covid-19 spreading in prisons when imposing jail sentences on those who defy the MCO.
“We also laud Prisons director-general Zulkifli Omar for proposing that these judges utilise existing laws to order MCO offenders to do compulsory community work instead of imposing jail time, to reduce congestion in jails and due to the department’s inability to practice social distancing in jails,” she said.
Tengku Maimun’s statement yesterday was after the Prisons Department appealed to the courts not to jail MCO offenders as prison overcrowding has made social distancing an arduous task.
The CIJ argued that the related announcements reinforced concerns raised on the need for all law enforcement authorities to adopt clear, consistent and transparent protocols on its powers and actions during this pandemic.
At the daily Covid-19 press conference in Putrajaya today, Ismail, who is also senior minister in charge of the security cluster, had cautioned that authorities were taking sterner action against MCO violators due to the rise in Covid-19 cases in Malaysia.
Aside from the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Local Infected Areas) Regulations 2020, other related cases include charges under the Penal Code.
All non-essential travel within Malaysia is not permitted until the MCO is lifted.
Anyone violating this law can be fined up to RM1,000, jailed up to six months or both.
Source: Malaysiakini