At the illegal assembly trial of the 'ISA 7' today, a prosecution witness told the Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court that the demonstration in 2001 had turned unruly after the police started arresting protestors.

The seven accused - suspended university students Rafzan Ramli ( photo ), Helma Sanudin, Khairul Amal Mahmood, Ahmad Kamal Abdul Hamid, Wan Sanusi Wan Mohd Noor, Nik Noorhafizi Nik Ismail and Zulkifli Idris - are charged with breaching section 27 of the Police Act.

They are alleged to have participated in a demonstration outside the National Mosque on June 8, 2001 (in protest of the Internal Security Act detention of reformasi activists).

The case is being heard before magistrate Lim Kui Lee after being postponed eight times. The hearing started yesterday.