When Maria Chin Abdullah’s father speaks, it is barely above a whisper. But when his daughter’s arrest is mentioned, there is conviction in his tone.

Visibly anguished, the 87-year-old former engineer opened a binder and pointed to a newspaper clipping related to the Bersih chairperson’s arrest.

The article is almost entirely underlined in red ink.

"(All the information) I get from the papers. The police never tell us where she is and how long they will keep her," he told Malaysiakini when met at Maria’s residence in Petaling Jaya.