Urgent Appeal: Another 9 More Arrested, Bus Held

[suaram]

SUARA RAKYAT MALAYSIA

Address:  433A, Jalan 5/46, Gasing Indah, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Telephone: +6 03 7784 3525                                Fax: +6 03 7784 3526

Email: sua...@suaram.net                     Web: www.suaram.net

 

 

Urgent appeal: 15 December 2008

Another 9 More Arrested, Bus Held

 

The JERIT team that was cycling from the north has also faced hindrance by the police.

 

As they were entering Rawang, they were stopped by a police road block. The police asked the cyclists if they had permit to cycle and checked their particulars and ICs. They were allowed to proceed but suddenly the police held the bus used to transport the cyclists has been held along with the bus driver and 7 cyclists who were on the bus. Another JERIT activist was also held at the roadblock. They were arrested around 5.15pm.

 

The bus and the 9 arrested are being brought to IPD Gombak.

 

Those arrested are:

 

1.      Syed Azman

2.      Hussein

3.      Barathan

4.      Henry Dass

5.      Sathish

6.      Darnenthiren

7.      Dinesh

8.      Mageswaran

9.      Bus driver (name not known)

 

SUARAM strongly condemns the police for their ongoing attacks and intimidation on freedom of expression, a fundamental right which is guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. We demand the Malaysian government to allow the cyclist to continue cycling and practice their freedom of expression as stated in Federal Constitution.

 

Background

JERIT or Oppressed People's Movement is organizing a cycling campaign throughout the nation to put forward six demands to the Prime Minister of Malaysia. The campaign officially began on the 3rd December at Wisma Darul Aman Kedah. 50 cyclists have been flagged off from Wisma Darul Aman and they would cycle for sixteen days through Kedah, Penang, Perak, and Selangor. On 18th December they will handover a memorandum to the Prime Minister in Parliament.

 
4 December: A volunteer of the campaign, Ruben s/o Loganathan has been arrested at Merbau Pulas, Kedah, for leafleting leaflets containing demands of JERIT's Bicycle campaign, but released under police bail on the same day.

5 December: Teluk Kumbar police had stopped the cyclist of JERIT cycle campaign from leafleting in Teluk Kumbar, Penang.

6 December: 16 Activist has been arrested in Skudai Johor.

9 December: 8 individuals have been arrested on the seventh day of the JERIT cycle campaign. One of the female JERIT activists, Helen Mary Johnson has been molested and punched on the face by a police officer while she was taking photographs. Another JERIT activist Lee Huat Seng’s Lee Huat Seng's camera was confiscated and in the process the police hurt him in the arm.

15 December: 39 individuals from the Southern team were arrested at Bangi Lama Estate. 9 individuals from the Northern team were arrested at Rawang.

 

Released By,
Temme Lee

SUARAM Coordinator

 

 

Urgent action needed:
 
Please continue to 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 to allow the cyclist to continue their campaign and allow them to practice their freedom of expression as stated in Federal Constitution.

Please call and send your protest letters to:
 
1. IPD Gombak

Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Gombak
Polis Diraja Malaysia
53100 Selayang
Selangor

Tel: +603-61385222

Fax: +603-61369408

 

2. 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

 

 SAMPLE LETTER

[Letterhead of your organisation]

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

Dear Sir,
 
Re: Release the 9 JERIT Activists and Cyclists Arrested at Rawang

 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 participating in any form of public assembly and exercising their freedom to express their views.

We demand that the 9 activists and cyclists be released immediately and unconditionally and the cyclists be allowed to continue their campaign. 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 is guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the Federal Constitution of Malaysia.

Yours sincerely,

[Name]