NGOs strongly condemned the arrest of 10 demonstrators this morning and demanded their immediate and unconditional release. Those arrested were among the crowd of about 200 who rallied near the courthouse where the sodomy trial of sacked deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim resumed after a two-month break.

"Those detained were merely exercising their constitutional right to gather peacefully to express their concern about Anwar's trial and their solidarity with eight others charged with illegal assembly in a separate case," said human rights NGO Aliran. "At no point were they a threat to national stability and security."

Among those arrested were KeADILan Youth deputy secretary N.Gobalakrishnan, DAP member Yap Weng Keong and key reformasi activist Abdul Malek Hussain. According to human rights NGO Suaram, the others were Sabran Mohd Hamzah, S. Pushpa, Nelson Nyanggai, Mohd Tahriq Ali, Mohd Rizal Nasarin, Nor Azinah Mohd Noh and Khaliah Sheikh Mohd.

The protesters were also at the courthouse to give their support to a number of reformasi activists who were on trial for illegal assembly at the National Mosque on Sept 19. They included KeADILan Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Noor, Anwar's former private secretary Azmin Ali, former law lecturer Badrul Amin, film director and malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais,political secretary of Opposition Leader Fadzil Noor, Dr Hatta Ramli, and Harakah cartoonist Zunar. Their trial was adjourned to tomorrow.

The demonstrators were waiting for those facing trial to finish meeting theirlawyers at the Kuala Lumpur Legal Aid Centre when police moved in to disperse them. Those nabbed were taken to the Jalan Stadium police station.

According to Eli Wong, co-coordinator of Suaram, one of the detainees was pushed so hard that the bus-stop pole outside the Legal Aid Centre was uprooted from the cement pavement.

"When witnesses protested the police actions, they were threatened in turn.The arresting officers were not in uniform, making it difficult for witnesses to identify these thugs. Suaram fears for safety and well being of the 10 detainees as they may be subjected to continue offensive police actions," she said.

Charles Santiago, spokesperson for People Manifesto Initiative, said that the government should not encroach on the right of peaceful assembly. "Those detained should be released without any charges," he said.

Malaysians have the basic right to peaceful assembly, said Wong. However,this right has been interpreted by the Barisan National government to only allow gatherings to show support for the BN leaders. "We are spiraling up the ladder of authoritarianism so rapidly that one day, Malaysians may wake up to a totalitarian state," she said.

She called Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Abdullah Badawi to take full responsibility for the callous actions of his police force and issue an immediate apology to the 10 who were detained "if he is at all respectful about human decency and human rights".

Aliran said that the government is becoming increasingly intolerant of dissent and is slowly but surely drifting towards the nightmare of a police state.

"The authoritarian Mahathir Mohamad administration is at a loss over how to deal with criticism and appears to blindly believe that only strong-arm tactics can quell the growing disquiet among the people," it said.