Urgent Appeal: JERIT Cyclists and Activists Arrested at Bangi Lama

[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

JERIT Cyclists and Activists Arrested at Bangi Lama

 

JERIT cyclists and activists have been arrested by the police in Bangi.

 

At 9.30am today, the JERIT cyclists cycled from Denudin Estate to Bangi Lama Estate where they arrived at around 11.30am. At the Bangi Lama Estate, police ambushed the estate and threatened to arrest the activists and cyclists.

 

At around 1.15pm, the police arrested the cyclists and activists. They are currently being taken to IPD Kajang.

 

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.

Released By,
Temme Lee

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 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 Kajang

Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Kajang
Polis Diraja Malaysia
43000 Kajang
Selangor

Tel: +603-87362222

OCPD Kajang: +6019-9553555

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 JERIT Activists and Cyclists Arrested at Bangi Lama

 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 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]