About 30 people - mostly lawyers - stood in solidarity with detained lawyer Matthias Chang outside of the Dang Wangi district police headquarters tonight.

Led by the Malaysian Bar president Steven Thiru, the group lit candles to protest against Chang's arrest this afternoon under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma).

Thiru decried Chang’s arrest under Sosma and urged the police not to harass and intimidate any lawyer who is doing his duty.

"Attacks against any lawyer who is performing his or her duty is an attack on the Bar. We will not let it happen," he told Malaysiakini tonight.

Chang was arrested under the security law for accompanying his client, Khairuddin Abu Hassan, who has lodged complaints about 1MDB with enforcement agencies in several countries abroad.

Khairuddin is also detained under Sosma, which provides for detention without trial for up to 28 days.

Thiru also said that there is “no basis whatsoever” for the police to use Sosma against Chang, for he has already cooperated with the authorities and even went twice to give statements to the police.

"Absolutely not! No basis whatsoever (for using Sosma). Sosma was meant for something else - essentially terrorism; not for the allegation of having lodged police reports and it does not come under any Penal Code that we know of. Police should not use Sosma," he said.

Among the attendees are former Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan; DAP’s Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok; and human right lawyers Latheefa Koya and N Surendran, who is also PKR's Padang Serai MP.

Kok lamented that with the arrest of Khairuddin and Chang, there is the danger of that anyone who criticises the government could to be detained under Sosma as well.

"I'm happy to see the lawyers come together. I was at an embassy function and I wanted to attend (the vigil) and show our support.

"This is utterly ridiculous for the lawyer (Chang) to be detained under Sosma. That means you and I, all can be detained under Sosma. Gila (It’s crazy)!" Kok said.

Meanwhile, a former president of the Catholic Lawyers Society of Kuala Lumpur, Francis Pereira, urged his colleagues to join forces to fight against using Sosma as a political tool.

"The impunity with which the actions against civil society NGOs, including lawyers, clearly reflects the state of the country. How much lower can we go? When will all this end? Society needs to be enraged by these actions," Pereira said.

The group dispersed at 10.30pm, leaving the lit candles in front of the police station.