The family of an activist charged under recent sedition dragnet is looking for an assurance of his safety while in custody, as they do not want him to suffer the same fate as his twin brother.
 
Ali Abd Jalil's sister Asiah Abd Jalil (left) said that the family is worried that Ali, who faces two counts of sedition, will suffer the same treatment at the hands of police as his brother Ahmad, who was also arrested under the Sedition Act in 2012.
 
Asiah and several of Ali's family members today handed over a memorandum to the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) commissioner Dr Mahmood Zuhdi Ab Majid to help ensure Ali's safety will be upheld by the police during investigation.
 
"We fear for his (Ali) safety and do not want the same thing to befall him (as Ahmad)," Asiah told Malaysiakini at the Suhakam headquarters today.
 
Ali is currently in Sungai Buloh prison.
 
Ahmad, Ali's twin, was remanded for six days in November 2012 and claimed that he was denied a lawyer, blindfolded and placed in a cell meant for those under capital punishment.
 
"I cooperated (with police) and was promised a phone call. However, as soon as I reached the Johor police station, my requests were denied and I was put into a cell meant for people receiving capital punishment," said Ahmad, 29, of the incident two years ago.
 
Based on Ahmad's experience with the Johor police, Asiah said her family does not want to take any chances and face the same issues again.
 
She also said that she had been told that Ali (left) might face five more charges in Johor under the same act if he posts bail for the two charges he faces here.
 
"I was also informed that the five charges against Ali will be handled by five different investigating officers and bail is believed to be set at RM15,000," said Asiah. 
 
She said that Ali does not want to post bail for fear of harsh treatment by the Johor police as had happened to Ahmad.
 
"Ali does not have the capability of bringing down the government. He is not a threat," she said referring to the Facebook posts that had landed him in trouble.