Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) is set to launch a campaign to ensure that activist Khalid Ismath is released from police detention.

Its secretary-general A Sivarajan said his party has lodged 50 police reports throughout the country - apart from holding a candlelight vigil outside a Johor police station - to demand for Khalid’s release.

“We will continue to do these things,” he said in a press conference at the party's headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

Meanwhile, PSM chairperson Mohd Nasir Hashim questioned Khalid’s detention, pointing out how the latter had no relations to the Sultan of Johor’s former lawyer Kamal Hisham Ja'afar.

Nasir said Khalid was merely showing his support for someone who was detained.

Will hold demonstration as last resort

As for Khalid's detention, Nasir said should their demands are not met, his party will hold a demonstration as a last resort.

“We will lodge police reports first. We may opt for going to the streets as a last resort but that needs to be viewed from a larger context,” he said.

Khalid was today slapped with 11 charges under the Communications and Multimedia Act and three charges under the Sedition Act.

This is in relation to his social media postings regarding the Johor royalty.

His lawyer Dinesh Muthal said Khalid was charged in the Johor Bahru Sessions Court and was denied bail on grounds that he may flee the country.

Khalid was first detained last Wednesday. He was subsequently released and re-arrested under the Sedition Act.