Suaram has questioned the professionalism and neutrality of the police, after they halted the Pakatan Rakyat rally at Kampung Baru last night.

Coordinator E Nalini said the disruption of the public assembly and recent harassment of opposition politicians has further undermined public confidence in the police force.

“They are disregarding the freedom of assembly, a fundamental right enshrined in Article 10 of the federal constitution,” she said.

Police had used force, resulting in at least three persons being injured.

Suaram attributed the string of human rights violations to the government’s failure to reform the police force.

“(We) regret the absence of any serious efforts by the government to reform the police force and to improve (its) compliance with fundamental rights,” she said.

Nalini urged the government to implement the Royal Police Commission’s recommendations on the police force, in particular on freedom of assembly, and improvement of the professionalism and impartiality of the police force.

Last night, police personnel abruptly stopped the Pakatan rally held to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the March 8, 2008 general election.

Although the event was held on private land, police personnel brought the event to a stop and used force to disperse the crowd.

Roslan Mat, a member of PKR's Lembah Pantai division and the head of security, was arrested.