Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has described the dramatic abduction of social activist Hishamuddin Rais last night as an overkill by the police force.

 

"This is extremely shocking," an irate Eric Paulsen, the LFL executive director,  told Malaysiakini .

 

"I fear that Malaysia is on the slippery slope to a police state where the rule of law and legal processes means little."

 

At about 9pm yesterday, Hishamuddin was abducted by several unknown individuals believed to be police officers soon after he alighted from a taxi near Dataran Merdeka.

 

He was grabbed by three motorcyclists and tossed into a silver Honda Accord that was tailing the taxi. The assailants fled after activists in the vicinity gave chase.

 

It was later found that Hishamuddin was taken to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters.

 

Blatant show of force

 

The distressing part of the incident was that the arrest could be technically legal, lamented Paulsen.

 

"(But) it is extremely unprofessional because they (the abductors) were not identified as police officers and clearly Isham was not fleeing or in hiding.

 

"So what was the need for such a dramatic show of force to affect a simple arrest?" he asked.

 

Paulsen ( left ) said the police had no reason to treat Hishamuddin like a hardcore criminal as he had always given his fullest cooperation to the police in his previous arrests.

 

Hishamuddin was among four individuals who were slated to speak at a ‘ceramah’ organised by Kita Lawan at Dataran Merdeka last night.