Human Rights Watch (HRW) has described police's sudden move to charge participants for the Kita Lawan demonstration held earlier this year as a retaliation for the more recent Bersih 4 mega rally.
“Charging protest organisers a full six months after a peaceful demonstration is a transparent attempt to retaliate against activists for the recent, huge Bersih rally,” said HRW Asia director Phil Robertson.
Several of those charged for the Kita Lawan rallies between Feb 28 and March 28 to protest the jailing of then opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim were also involved in the Bersih 4 protest which took place on Aug 29 and 30.
Robertson ( photo ) called for charges against the nine activists and opposition politicians to be dropped.
“The Malaysian government seems determined to turn every peaceful protest into an occasion for throwing demonstrators into police lock-ups and charging them with a crime.
“The authorities need to stop their headlong rush towards an authoritarian state and drop the charges against all peaceful protesters," he said in a statement today.
Those charged on Monday under Section 4(2)(c) of the Peaceful Assembly Act were Maria Chin Abdullah, Mandeep Singh, Adam Adli, Rozan Azan Mat Rasep, Fariz Musa, Chang Lih Kang, Lee Chean Chung and Sim Tze Tzin.
The offence concerns holding street protest as the Peaceful Assembly Act only allows for stationary rallies.
Another protester, Fakhrulrazi Mokhtar, was charged under the Sedition Act for his speech at the rally.
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